The Lifestream Army
by MrQuestionMark
Summary: Now that he is on holiday, Mr Question Mark goes somewhere he has been before. The Northern Cave, the heart of the Planet. How could he not go again? But what he finds there will pull him into a fight that he can't afford to lose. Enlisting the help of a group found at the 7th Heaven, will he identify the threat of 'The Lifestream Army? 3rd in the Mr Question Mark series
1. Chapter 1

**Finally! After working my other story, I have finally updated the next saga for my OC.  
This first chapter is the longest by far, but I only say that because I don't know the length of the others! Regardless, I hope that you enjoy this chapter of 'The Lifestream Army'. **

**Disclaimer: This applies to all concepts of this story but I don't own wither Final Fantasy VII or Doctor Who! Keep note of this as this disclaimer probably might be forgotten. But I don't own anything in this story! Except for Mr Question Mark. He is MINE!**

**It continues where we left off in the previous story...  
**

* * *

Mr Question Mark gripped the railing as the TARDIS shook violently. He had grown accustomed to the bumpy trips with his trips with the Doctor and he didn't feel home without them as a result. There was a whirring sound from the console (think similar to the 11th Doctor's TARDIS) and he went over to it and pulled a lever on it. Then he raced over to another lever and pulled that.

"Come on!" he said with excitement. He grabbed a hammer lying on the chair near to where he was and hit the console with it, it producing sparks where ever he hit. "I already repaired you!" He hit the console again, this time a large amount of sparks flying out. There was a bump in the ride and Mr Question Mark fell down the stairs near where he was, hammer still in hand, flying to the side as he now had no support to old onto.

He cried out as he was flung and smashed against one of the walls. He got up as fast as he could, but to no avail as he was flung to another side again. This time, he managed to get a grip on the railings and pulled himself up to the console, and when he did, he pulled another one of the lever. The TARDIS bumped violently at the pull of the lever and Mr Question Mark finally moved to a button on the console, smashing the hammer onto it.

There was a 'ding' and Mr Question Mark cried out "10 points!" in excitement before the TARDIS bumped one final time. Mr Question Mark leaned against the console, laughing at the bumpy ride that he had just had. With excitement, he ran to the door, throwing the hammer back onto the chair where it had previously been and opened the doors of the TARDIS.

Outside the doors was a large crater surrounded by the stone walls of a cavern. Near to where the TARDIS was, there was an opening in the rock. Directly in front of Mr Question Mark was a large crater; green mist and a green glow coming from it. The centre of the planet in the Northern Cave. He grinned and closed the doors, locking them with the key inside his locket and he then put the key back into said locket.

"Good job girl." He said as he patted the TARDIS. "You got the destination right this time." He let out a laugh and patted his TARDIS again. Grown from the Doctor's TARDIS, the chameleon circuit had been originally broken, a tip of the hat from the original model. The only difference in fact between his own and the Doctor's TARDIS was the fact that his own TARDIS was shorter than the Doctor's.

He checked to see if the door was actually locked and upon finding that it was, he moved towards the centre of the crater and looked into the centre of the planet that he was on. He remembered his previous encounter here, but he couldn't remember the time that had elapsed between then and now. He had had to release the Lifestream of the planet in order to help it heal itself faster and to repel a Meteor that had been plummeting towards the planet. (The end scene of Final Fantasy VII where the Lifestream stops the Meteor). There were others that had stopped the person who had summoned the Meteor but he couldn't remember their names. The only name and face that he had bothered to remember had been that of Sephiroth.

He breathed in the air of the Lifestream, feeling the planet's life flowing through him. He had always wanted to see the heart of the planet but hadn't really gotten the chance to. Having a holiday certainly was convenient for him.

He went around to a 'port' made by the stone that led into the planet's heart. Underneath him were numerous floating stones that he leapt from in order to reach the heart of the planet. If memory served him right, there was a stone platform that led to the heart just in front of him…

He saw that stone platform almost in front of him, jumping from the floating stone that he was on to the stone in front of him and then towards the stone platform. The sound of his shoes hitting the tone echoed in the crater as he landed and walked around the stone platform. He couldn't remember where or how he was supposed to get to the heart so his first step was to look over the edge of the platform, hoping to see a way to get to see the heart.

There was a cracking sound behind him.

With a quick motion, he reached for his sonic screwdriver and pointed it towards the source of the sound. There was no need for his gun. He wasn't in any immediate danger and firing a bullet inside the centre of a planet was definitely not something he was going to do. There was another cracking sound from the centre of the platform, Mr Question Mark scanning it with his screwdriver. He read the reading that it provided.

_No life forms in scanned range_

He checked again, the reading staying the same. Still the cracking sound came from the centre of the platform, this time; stones were visibly seen to be rising from the centre of the platform as if something was breaking from underneath the planet. But….the only thing underneath there was the heart. It was almost as if the heart itself was trying to break free of the platform and enter the world.

But there was no life form where the stone was. So what was coming from the stone? What was coming up?

Mr Question Mark pocketed his screwdriver, getting a loose stone from where he was and juggling it in one hand. Whatever it was that was coming up, he wasn't coming to be unarmed if it was dangerous.

The ground beneath the stone as the 'something' that had been breaking through broke from the heart. Mr Question Mark covered his face, hand still gripping the stone in his hand. Dust was kicked up as the force of the bursting kicked it up. Mr Question Mark saw a figure in the dust ahead of him. He didn't need to know what it was, but the long katana-like sword in one hand told him what he needed to know. If the heart of the planet had kept this thing, whatever it was, trapped, he needed to make sure that it didn't get out. But what was it?

Regardless, he threw the stone in his hand at the figure, hitting it in the head. He reached or another stone and heard footsteps approach him. He threw the stone in his hand again as the figure approached. Mr Question Mark stepped back, the rocks beneath him crumbling as he realised that he was on the edge of the platform. Nowhere to go. He had attracted the attention of the figure and he was certain if he ran for the floating stone platform near him, the figure would cut him done. Sweating, he reached for one last stone as the figure came into his view.

His eyes went wide as soon as he saw the face of his attacker. Long silver hair and a long sword. In fact the word should have been the first give away. (Don't know his eye colour but I think you guys will survive.)

Mr Question Mark licked his lips, hardly able to understand why the person in front of him was alive. He didn't like being ignorant. Ignorance, to him, wasn't bliss. It was one reason to say 'I don't know'. And he hated not knowing. So how was the figure in front of him alive?

"Sephiroth" he said as the figure approached him.

"I didn't think anyone would be here when I arose." He said looking at Mr Question Mark. "Regardless, you can't do anything boy. You should be honoured. You are my first kill."

"Great." Said Mr Question Mark. He didn't even see the sword as he was stabbed in the stomach. He let out a gag as it did, the cold metal of the sword turning inside of his stomach. He looked up weakly at the figure in front of him. Lifeless eyes looked at what was soon going to be a corpse.

Not if he could help it. Resistant to the end, he used the last of his strength to throw the stone as hard as he could towards his enemy. It hit Sephiroth's face hard but the former SOLDIER didn't even react, even when the stone drew some blood at its impact.

Sephiroth pulled out the sword from Mr Question Mark's gut and Mr Question Mark fell, green flying past him.

"I hate my holidays." He said, just as the Lifestream around him engulfed his body.

* * *

Precia woke up with a jolt, her chest hurting and pulsing with pain. She coughed, feeling like something was blocking her airway but nothing came out. She wiped her mouth, the feeling still there but she ignored it. It must the stress from having to deal with the media from the case with Churchill.

Mr Question Mark was on his holiday, so nowhere knew where he was. She missed his eccentricity and his character, to lighten up the feeling in otherwise serious atmosphere in the palace. She rubbed off the thought. Mr Question Mark would return when he did. But right now, she had her own problems to deal with.

She staggered out of her room, heading towards the bathroom that was near her bedroom. Her chest wasn't the only thing hurting now; her head was pulsing with the same pain. Using the wall as a support, she headed to the bathroom, opening the door and washing her face.

"Cause…..The Cause… (See the first in the series to know when this came up)"

She spun around, her head and chest still hurting at the voice. There was nothing else inside the bathroom apart from her, she could tell because of the fact that all the toilet doors were open as well as the doors leading to the baths and showers.

"Hello?" she asked. Maybe there was someone in here. She just had to make sure.

"Cause….the Cause cannot die….' It whispered. She spun around again. She had heard the voice behind her. She looked in the mirror in front of her to see if there was anything behind her. There wasn't.

"The Cause cannot die….."

So why was there a voice behind her when there was nothing there? And what was his Cause that it talked about?

Frightened, she ran out the bathroom, the feeling of the pain masked by her own fright as she ran towards her room and locked the door. She ran towards her bed and pulled the covers over her head like a child.

"Cause….." the voice continued to whisper. She smothered her face in her pillow, sweating and trying to ignore the voice. Mr Question Mark, she thought, where the hell are you?

* * *

Mr Question Mark sat up with a jolt. He immediately felt the pain inside of his gut. He ran a hand down his gut, feeling that the fabric of his shirt had already mended itself. It was at times like these that the fabric was indeed useful, as it hid wounds brilliantly, but it was a pain if he wanted to see the wound itself. He lifted the shirt up and looked at his stomach. Or rather, what was left of it.

A large hole was now where his stomach was, a red line inside of is stomach. He figured that he could see parts of his intestines if he adjusted his gaze but he had no desire to. He didn't know what it would be like if he threw up with a hole in his stomach.

Using his tie to apply pressure to the wound by wrapping it around his body he stood up. He turned, rather wobbled, around until he saw a landmark in front of him that he immediately noticed. Midgar. The large city rose in front of him, one that he had visited before Sector 7 had been completely obliterated, 3 years ago (thus making the time line 3 years after FF7 and 1 year after Advent Children). In fact, he had been there when it had been destroyed. He had managed to hide in the TARDIS to avoid any damage but…

The TARDIS! Mr Question Mark swore as he realised that he had left it at the Northern Cave. He knew that he would have to get back towards the Northern Cave. But there was something that he had to do first: stop Sephiroth. Whenever that guy was around, nothing good came out of it. And he had only fought him once. But why had Sephiroth risen? And when Mr Question Mark had scanned him why didn't Sephiroth register as a life form? Come to think of it, why had he ended up in Midgar? He remembered being thrown into the Lifestream and then…nothing. Why was there nothing?

Remembering to focus on one problem at a time, he hobbled towards the gate of Midgar. He didn't need to know what happened next; the wound that Sephiroth had given him would only result in one thing: regeneration. So he needed to find a place where he could do it quietly.

* * *

The streets of Midgar were packed as usual, street performers and children packing the sides of the street while parents and teenagers walked up and down them. But somehow, the street had gotten weirder. While he was looking for an abandoned alleyway for his regeneration, some girl dressed in a ninja outfit had approached him and patted his shoulder after seeing him limping. Pretending to help, he could have sworn he felt her hand in his blazer pocket, probably looking for material. Refusing to accept help, he pushed her away slightly, apologising as he did so. She had then given him a strange look and asked him if he was OK.

He had ignored the question and limped away. He had found an alleyway quickly after the encounter and entered it, going to the back of the alleyway, glad when he found that it turned a corner before hitting a dead-end. That way, he could avoid people seeing his regeneration.

Mr Question Mark's regeneration was different from normal Time Lords. Strictly speaking, he wasn't exactly a Time Lord himself. He remembered what Precia had told him that Scar had told her and Samus that he had been 'created'. Mr Question Mark knew where Scar got his information from. 'Iam'. It was the only thing that made sense. After all, the only one who knew positively that Mr Question Mark was a creation of the Time Lords was himself, the Doctor and Iam. Created during the Time War, he had been given a Time Lord's body. Two hearts, regeneration, the whole lot. Named the Prototype of the Experiments of Gallifrey or the True First Experiment he had been 'made'. But since he was a creation, his regeneration process differed from other Time Lords. Instead of his whole appearance changing, the cells inside of his body weren't 'replaced' but rather 'refreshed'. His appearance stayed the same as well as everything else about him and only the wound that he had been given changed. (Can't give too much away about my OC. Although, this is a big development. Of course there are other details and back stories about Mr Question Mark)

His body ached, as it usually did when he was about to regenerate. He felt the bottled up regeneration energy surge through his body and arched his back as it was released. He could feel the energy inside of him repair the wound inside of his body as well as the fact that he could feel the regeneration energy leave his body.

When the whole process was over, Mr Question Mark coughed and leaned over, using the wall as a support for him as he did so. He wiped his mouth and stood up straight, feeling where the wound had previously been, feeling only closed skin. Happy with the result, he took off the tie around his waist and put it in its rightful place around his neck. He looked at the blood on his shirt but he knew that there was nothing to be done about that. Even though his fabric could fix itself, it couldn't wipe away blood.

Letting out a few more coughs, Mr Question Mark headed towards the end of the alleyway. If he was going to fight Sephiroth, he needed advice. Advice who knew the planet better than anyone else. He saw a figure at the end of the alleyway, leaning against one of the walls. He walked past the figure, saying "Excuse me" as he walked past it. He was about to exit the alley when he felt a hand on his shoulder and a gasp from the figure behind him.

He turned look at the face of a 25 year old looking woman with brown hair and wearing a lot of pink. He sighed as he looked at her face. Another weirdo. First a ninja and now…a pink girl?

"You can see me?" she asked.

Mr Question Mark's head filled with thoughts at the question. There were only two conditions in which one could ask that question in such seriousness. It arose when he could not be seen and the only beings that had that ability here in Midgar, here on this planet were invisible beings and ghosts. As far as he knew there were no Gelth on this planet. Judging by the fact that the figure had gasped when it had come into contact with him, that meant…

"Not now!" he moaned as he brushed away the hand and ran into the crowd in front of him. The last thing that he needed right now was a ghost that hadn't past on yet. But even the existence of a ghost in this world was strange. Usually, when people died on this world, thy returned to the Lifestream so why was there one here now?

Mr Question Mark ran as fast as he could, away from the girl. Man, he wished that he was back inside the TARDIS right about now. That way, he could enjoy his holiday the way that he wished, stress free and just enjoying the thrill of travelling.

He stopped in front of a large fountain, gasping for breath, ignoring the stares of the people who were looking at him. He looked around him, at the people around him, but saw that the ghost was nowhere in the crowd. He sat on the edge of the fountain and let out a sigh.

"You can't run you know." Said a voice above him, frightening him so much that he fell into the fountain. The water that he land in was stained red as the blood that was on his shirt seeping into the water of the fountain. He stood up and glared at the ghost who was looking in surprise at him as he stepped out of the fountain, soaking wet. Mr Question Mark knew that he wouldn't get anywhere in the state that his clothes were in, so he wrung them out and admitted defeat.

"I suppose not." He continued to wring out his clothes, waiting for the ghost above him to start talking. The dead always had a lot to say. After all, having no-one to talk to for how many years one had been dead did tend to allow one to think up a lot of interesting conversations.

"How can you see me?" asked the girl. "I'm dead."

"Really?" countered Mr Question Mark. "If you were truly dead, you would have been returned to the Lifestream. It seems to me that you are in between the planes of the living and the dead. But that's just me. What do you think?" He spoke in casual tone, attracting attention if the people around him even more as he spoke to one that they could not see. The ghost, in response, merely stayed silent.

"As for me," Mr Question Mark said, finishing his thought out loud, "I'd have to say that you do have an idea of why you're still here. But you won't tell me."

"What makes you think that?" said the ghost as she floated down to ground level, meeting the eyes of the wet boy. "Why do you think that I know why I haven't passed on?"

"Because, you don't want to leave. If you didn't know, you wouldn't be here in Midgar, you would find out what you could do to make you pass on. But since you have, you just don't want to do it." Mr Question Mark took off his blazer and shook it in the air, spraying water in all directions. "So. Why do you still remain in this world?" he asked her.

The girl crossed her arms. "You're very interesting, you know that? This is not a normal conversation you would have with a ghost."

"What is one?" he asked. "First question that came to mind. Speaking of questions…." Mr Question Mark said as he remembered a question that had come to him while he was regenerating, "you wouldn't happen to know about the Cetra would you?"

The ghost narrowed her eyes and nodded. "Yes. What about them?"

Mr Question Mark put his blazer on, it now less wet than it previously was. "3 years ago, during when the Meteor came down, the last Cetra died. I heard that they were buried in the City of the Ancients. Now, my question is: is that true?"

The ghost smiled, leaned forward and tilted her head. "Why are you asking me?" she asked. "Why don't you go there yourself?"

"Take too long." He replied shaking a leg to get rid of water, spraying water again. Passing people glared at him and walked around the fountain. "Would take a week and the trip would be wasted if the Cetra isn't there."

"How about I tell you where you could find a fast ship. Could get you to the City in less than 2 hours." The ghost replied.

Mr Question Mark raised an eyebrow. "You sure know a lot for being a ghost. Why don't you just tell me?"

The ghost shrugged. "I'd prefer you to go there yourself." She pointed in one direction; the west. "Go along here until you reach a bar on the left. It's called the '7th Heaven'. The people there own an airship that will be useful to you."

"A bar?" he asked. "Are you sure that that's legal? Considering how old I look?"

"Why do you ask? Are you older?" countered the ghost with a sinister smile.

Mr Question Mark snorted "You have no idea." He gave his thanks to the girl and walked in the specified direction, the ghost not following him however, she did call out to him after he had walked a few steps.

"What will you do if you find the Cetra?" she asked.

Mr Question Mark turned back to her. "Revive them." He said simply and walked away, smiling to himself as he caught a glimpse of the shocked face on the ghost's face.

* * *

The 7th Heaven was a quite quiet place, apart from the large group at the back of it. When he had walked in, he had attracted glares from them. Mr Question Mark had pretended to ignore them but had gotten a glimpse of them in his peripheral vision. 4 men, a familiar ninja girl as well as two…..'Creatures'. One looked awfully like a stuffed cat and another was a red-dog like creature. On any other occasion, he would have approached them and inspected them thoroughly but not today. He was looking for an airship and that was what he had to focus on.

He walked up to the boy and awaited service, sitting on one of the bar stools. The fall had washed away most of the blood from his shirt so now he didn't have to hide much of it in order to show the blood.

"What would you like sir?" came a voice from the other side of the bar. He looked over to where the voice had come from and saw a small girl working the till efficiently, almost as if she had done it before. He blinked at her. Was letting a girl, who had the appearance of a 7 year old, work the rill of a bar ethical? He shrugged.

"I'll have a milkshake please." He said. "Chocolate."

"A….milkshake?" she asked. "I don't think that he can make those."

"Really?" he asked. "Then I'll just have some milk if you don't mind."

The girl stared at him and he stared at her. "You know there's a shop just across from here right? They sell milk." She said.

"Are you telling me to go to the store?" Mr Question Mark asked with a smile.

The girl frantically waved her arms in front of her. "No sir!" she said hurriedly. "I think it's around here…."

She ran over to a fridge and opened it. Mr Question Mark took the time to observe what type of girl she was. Judging by that she worked the till with familiarity she must have worked here before and for a long time. Teaching something to a 7 year old took time and patience. Also, the girl pranced about the bar with the same familiarity so she must have a close connection to it. So close to the bar or the bar owner. Her clothes were very neat but they didn't seem like something that he would walk out in. So she must live in the establishment. That explained the connection. Mr Question Mark looked over to the right and saw a staircase leading a second level of the bar, probably the living quarters.

The girl poured the milk into a glass and brought it over to him. He took it with a smile and took a sip, feeling the curious eyes of the girl on him. When they had just talked he had seen her gaze not wavering away from his eyes. Same as Precia. She was always attentive to his eyes. He put the glass down and glanced around the bar in front of him.

"What happened to your eyes?" the girl asked.

Mr Question Mark took another sip. "That's a long story. Besides I don't want to scare you."

"I don't get scared easily!" said the girl proudly, puffing out her chest. "I don't think you can scare me!"

"Marlene!" came a voice from the stairs that led up to the second level. "Don't be rude to customers!"

The girl, Marlene, flinched and turned to the stairs. "Sorry Tifa!" she said. "It won't happen again!"

Mr Question Mark saw a woman walk down the stairs into the bar. She was tall and wearing black, one of her fists on her hips (think the outfit from Advent Children. All characters will have those outfits). From a glance, Mr Question Mark guesses that she was in her early 20's, maybe 23 or 24. He took another sip of the milk.

"That's fine Marlene." Said Tifa. "Go play with your dad. I'll take over." Marlene nodded and ran out of the bar, running to the group at the back, running to one of the older, bigger men, tugging on his sleeve.

"Sorry about that." Said Tifa as she walked to the bar. Mr Question Mark turned back to her and he saw her flinch a tiny bit at the sight of his eyes. He waved a hand causally.

"No worries." He said and took another sip, finishing off the milk. He passed the glass to Tifa who took it and took it to the sink. She put it down and walked back over to Mr Question Mark. They both stared at each other, the only sound being the group at the back, Mr Question Mark waiting for Tifa to speak and Tifa unsure of what to say to the mysterious boy.

After a few seconds, Mr Question Mark gave Tifa a hint on what to say next. "Here's where you tell me how much the drink cost." He said.

Tifa blinked at him and then realised that she was still under working hours. "R-right" she said. "Um, I suppose you can have it for free. Milk's not expensive and Marlene was quite rude to you….."

"I said not to worry." Said Mr Question Mark. "But thanks for the drink."

Tifa nodded and looked at the back watching the group before turning to Mr Question Mark and saying in her softest voice. "But your eyes. What's the story?"

"I guess that this is the charge?" Tifa nodded. "Like I told Marlene, it's a long story."

Tifa crossed her arms. 'So? What is it?"

"Long and boring." Said Mr Question Mark, intending to change the subject. "And speaking of long and boring, I'm planning on shortening a long and boring trip to around 2 hours. I heard that a person owning a fast airship was here."

One of the men at the back spoke up, Tifa's eyes turning to the man. "Oi boy. Do I know you?"

'Not at all." Replied Mr Question Mark, not bothering to turn around to face him when talking. "And I don't know you. I suppose you are the airship pilot?"

"Are you with Shinra?" asked the man. The voices that were at the back stopped at the sound of the company.

Mr Question Mark scoffed. "Of course not. How can I be part of an organisation that disbanded?" Mr Question Mark knew that he had come after the incident with the Meteor, so Shinra had in fact disbanded.

"Then how do you know I own an airship boy? I don't tell anyone that I do. And how did you know that I was a pilot?" the man asked.

Mr Question Mark knew the answer immediately. Because a ghost told me. But if he said that…..there would definitely be consequences. So that left one option. Mr Question Mark turned to the man. He had blond hair and stubble on his chin. He was chewing on a toothpick and his jacket was incredibly dirty. Mr Question Mark still sitting began his explanation.

"It's in your jacket." He explained. "There's oil stains on various spots and I can smell the detergent that went into removing them but they're still there. Your hands and the gloves on them look worn but your feet are in almost mint condition. Not a lot of walking or foot movements such as cars. So a job that needs a lot of maintenance and only requires hands? A pilot."

The man took off his jacket and had a look over it, sniffing it to make sure the smell of detergent was there. He put it back on before turning to Mr Question Mark to ask him another question. "Why do you need an airship?"

"To verify something." He said. The group behind the man was whispering and frequently looking at the pilot and Mr Question Mark. It seemed like the ninja chick had recognised him. Behind him, Mr Question Mark heard Tifa washing the glass that he had just drank from.

"Verify something? What's the location? I'll have you know I don't do illegal business kid." The man said chewing on the toothpick.

Mr Question Mark narrowed his eyes. Illegal business? Why did the pilot think that he was in such business? Regardless, and a bit annoyed, Mr Question Mark answered. "Location? The City of the Ancients."

The reaction of the people in the bar was instantaneous. All of the group jumped from their chairs and looked at him and Mr Question Mark heard the sound of Tifa turning off the tap and stop washing the glass.

"Seems like you know it. Saves me from finding directions. So, will you take me?" he asked.

The pilot stepped forward. "Give me one good reason. One reason to go and one not to wring your throat."

"I need to check something." Said Mr Question Mark. Although he wasn't planning to tell them, they wouldn't have knowledge of the importance of the Cetra in the crisis before him. Hell, even he didn't know if talking to the Cetra would produce results. "A report regarding the Cetra. That the last one was buried in the City of the Ancients 3 years ago. So, can you take me?" he asked, standing up and meeting the pilot at eye level.

The pilot glared at him and Mr Question Mark saw his eyes flicker to behind him. Mr Question Mark turned, but not fast enough as Tifa threw the glass that she was holding at his head with all her might. It shattered and Mr Question Mark staggered back, holding a hand to his head and turning around. "What are you-"

He felt the pressure of a full grown man on his turned back and he and the pilot fell to the floor. The pilot grabbed his collar and punched his face twice before holding him up, threatening to punch him again.

"What do you want with Aeris?" he hissed.

Ignoring the warm sensation of blood on both the front and back of his head Mr Question Mark answered. "Is that her name?" He asked only to receive another punch to the face. Mr Question Mark groaned as he was lifted up by the collar and withstood the next assault: his head being smashed against the bar. He was turned back around, Cid right in front of his face.

"I'll ask again. What do you want with Aeris?"

"H-have a discussion." Said Mr Question Mark truthfully.

"She's dead." Came the cold reply.

"How can you be sure?" asked Mr Question Mark.

"Because I saw her die in front of me." Came another voice from the same group. Mr Question Mark turned and saw a man with blond hair like the pilot except the hair was in a spiky hairstyle. He, like Tifa, was wearing mostly black.

"But did she actually die?"

"Cid." Said the man turning to the pilot. Cid nodded and let go of Mr Question Mark, causing him to fall to the bar.

"Thank you sir." Said Mr Question Mark. "Now-"he never finished as the back of his head was smashed against the bar, this time being picked up by the man.

"I carried her body myself. Don't you dare say that she didn't die. I saw Sephiroth stab her in the gut first hand at the City of the Ancients."

With that one sentence, Mr Question Mark smiled. So. It WAS true. The last Cetra. That helped him greatly. "Thank you." He said to the man. "Now, I have somewhere I need to be so can you-Wah!" The man lifted Mr Question Mark higher into the air, his feet dangling.

"How the hell are you!? What do you want with Aeris!?" yelled the man.

This wasn't going anywhere. If Mr Question Mark kept on answering his questions, he would get nowhere. They would keep on going in circles until the man realised that whatever he was dealing with was serious. One last try…

"I want to talk to her. I have a problem and need her assistance. That's all."

The man still kept him in the air. "Tell the truth! You can't speak with the dead! So what do you want with Aeris!?"

Mr Question Mark looked at the man. His eyes told him that he wasn't going to let him down until he received an answer. And no answer was going to satisfy him. That much was obvious. Mr Question Mark didn't know how this blond haired man was or what his connection to the Cetra was but one thing was for sure. He had to use other means.

"I'm sorry Doctor." Mr Question Mark whispered to his mentor who disliked violence. Mr Question Mark felt the bar table and found what he was looking for. A coaster. Although he hadn't used one, all bars had one. So, that meant all bars had a potential weapon. In a fast motion, he picked it up and flung it at the man's head. The man cried out and Mr Question Mark kneed his chest, causing the man to drop him.

Mr Question Mark fell to the ground, everyone reacting in the same way. The only one who didn't react the same was Marlene, who cowered in a corner. Everyone else went loose. The closest one was the pilot, Cid. He ran towards Mr Question Mark. To counter him, Mr Question Mark picked up the bar stool behind him and threw it at the pilot. He batted it aside, only to see another stool flying to him. He fell back.

The next assault that was closest was from the bartender, Tifa. She had picked up the nearest bottle and had thrown it at Mr Question Mark while he was throwing the second chair but he intercepted it, catching it by the neck.

He turned with his new weapon in hand and saw the dog creature leaping towards him, with the cat creature on its head. He smashed the bottle against the dog's head, it leaping away whelping, Mr Question Mark left only with half a bottle. The man that had held him up was groaning and Mr Question Mark stamped on his head causing the man to yell out in pain.

The next thing that he heard was the cocking of a gun. His instincts told him one thing: to run. So, Mr Question Mark flung the bottle in the direction of the clicking and leapt to the side. A gunshot fired through the air, the bottle smashing, sending glass fragments everywhere and the bullet hit the end of the bar, sending more glass and bottles everywhere.

Gaining his balance, Mr Question Mark knew that the only place where there would be cover was the bar. But the bartender was the obstacle. So…..

Mr Question Mark leaped over the bar, sending a kick at the bartender. She caught it with one hand and sent a punch towards Mr Question Mark. He blocked the fast punch, the mere speed from it flying past his ear. Using his spare leg, he let out another kick, one that Tifa jumped out of the way to dodge. Mr Question Mark was let go and he landed on the floor of the bar, Tifa not entirely out of it either.

After she leaped back, she leaped forward without almost animal-like speed, Mr Question Mark reacting as fast as he could. He grabbed a bottle near him, but couldn't react to the punch fast enough as it smashed against his face. He was flung back, still holding the bottle, blood coming from his mouth.

Tifa cracked her knuckles. "Choosing to fight hand to hand against me. Bad choice." She said. Mr Question Mark didn't say anything, his body shielded by the bar from the others in the room. Judging by the fact that no-one had come to attack him after he chose to attack Tifa, he figured that everyone felt that Tifa could handle the rest. "Now. What do you want with Aeris? And don't give me that same excuse as last time."

Mr Question Mark gripped the bottle. They still wouldn't listen. What happened to giving people a chance? He looked at her and she looked at him. No words were needed for the exchange.

"I see. I guess I'll have to beat it out of you." She said. "I have to say though, you aren't really a fighter. Your moves are too ecstatic to be read as a style. It's more rather a mess than a fight" She moved forward, fist clenched while she did so.

"Guess people guessing." Mr Question Mark said in response. "Think fast." He threw the bottle towards Tifa, she reacting faster than he had and catching it. She didn't take her eyes off him as he reached for another bottle and threw it. She caught it with her other free hand.

"What now?" she mocked. Mr Question Mark smiled and reached for his gun, pointing it at her.

"Like I said. Think fast." Replied Mr Question Mark as he fired. There was no way that Tifa could respond except for leaping over the bar table with expert speed as the bullets sailed past her and into the wall. Mr Question Mark put down the gun and picked up another bottle, standing up to throw it and the nearest target. He saw it and didn't like it.

The man that Marlene had run to earlier was pointing his arm at him. He was large and had a bulky figure as well as dark skin and on one arm, there was a gun arm. Unlike Samus's, this one could immediately be seen as powerful. He doubted that his gun's bullets would stand up to such an overpowered weapon. So he hid behind the bar as the gun arm- gun cannon in his opinion- fired, practically blowing out the shelves on top of him.

The bottles and the shelf blew apart, glass and liquid flowing down on Mr Question Mark. He wiped his face with his sleeve as the smell of alcohol filled his nose. He peeked over the bar and looked at his opponents. They had gotten the tables and flipped them over, the wood acting as a shield. They were spread like a large wall preventing him from reaching the entrance.

"Did you get him Barret?" asked a voice.

"Sorry Red XIII" came the reply from the man called Barret. "The coward ducked before I could get in a shot."

Mr Question Mark ducked behind the bar, thinking about his next action. He needed the airship to get to the City. He didn't think that he was going to win over the people here unless a miracle happened. The only way that he was going to reach outside was through the staircase that Tifa had walked down before but that would have him open for a short amount of time but with that hand cannon and the fact that there was a marksman in the group meant that he probably wouldn't come out unscathed.

"Ghosts." He said to himself. "Ask a question and this is what happens."

He looked to the staircase and seeing that it was his only option, crawled towards it. He pocketed his gun in its previous spot. He didn't want to shoot anyone, the only reason that he had done so at Tifa was that he needed this cover desperately. He shifted and more bottles above him blew apart, liquid flowing onto him. Mr Question Mark looked up at where the bottles had previously been and saw a couple of shuriken where they had been.

Right, he thought, there was that ninja chick as well. To check their accuracy, he picked up half a bottle on the floor and raised it over the bar by its neck. The cracked body exploded as a gunshot echoed through the room, glass shattering over him. Mr Question Mark looked at the neck of the bottle with surprise. Three people who had remarkable firing skills. That wasn't good.

"You're trapped you know." Said a voice. Mr Question Mark knew from its tone that it was the spiky bond haired man that had beat him up. "Now tell us what you want with Aeris."

Mr Question Mark shifted towards the staircase as the man spoke. Nothing that he said now would change the man's mind. He was going to beat him hard until he couldn't speak and then he would leave him outside on the street. That was what Mr Question Mark thought the situation was going to go and that was probably how it was going to do as well.

"I told you." Replied Mr Question Mark as he moved. The man had said that he had seen 'Aeris' die, so he may as well see what information that he could get from him. "I have a problem that only this 'Aeris' can fix. And I need a craft that can get me to the City ASAP."

There was silence as he gave the same answer, Mr Question Mark still moving. There was more silence as the other group consulted with each other the repeated response. Mr Question Mark could see the small gap between him and the staircase. As long as he got to at least the fourth step, he should be fine from any fire from the other group. He got as close as he dared to the staircase as he could and readied for his sprint to the staircase.

"You can't reach the stairs." Came another voice. "I know that that's your only escape. That opening that you have, I'll use to blow a hole in one of your legs." A man had spoken, probably the marksman from before. Mr Question Mark merely looked at the staircase, not saying anything, the other group responding by doing the same.

There was silence as both groups waited for the other to make their attempt at a move. The only ones were escape for Mr Question Mark and attack for the other. Mr Question Mark looked at the distance with hesitation. He wasn't sure that he couldn't make that distance anymore. The marksmanship of the shooter before had told him that it was nearly impossible. So he needed to create a target. Mr Question Mark didn't have to look hard for one, a broken bottle among the mountains of them.

He knew that he had to act fast. He threw the bottle over the bar, hearing the shout of

"There!" from the other group. The sound of a gunshot was heard and the bottle shattered but Mr Question Mark had moved even before that. He headed towards the staircase and was about to reach it, when he saw one thing that he didn't need right now.

A small boy around the same age as Marlene came down the stairs and looked blankly at the scene, the shield of tables and the ruined bar, the perfectly normal reaction for anyone coming in. Mr Question Mark knew that his presence would immediately make one of the shooters on the other side attack. Judging by the fact that there was an increased chance for a hit, the cannon guy, Barret, would probably fire.

That meant that the staircase would probably explode in a shatter of wood, the splinters and the bullet itself potential weapons in itself. And that boy was at risk of getting hurt. Seriously hurt. Death was certainly an option. There was nowhere for the boy to have cover. Pushing him up the stairs wouldn't do anything and pushing him down would be the same as throwing him in front of the bullet.

"Barret!" he heard from behind him as well as the click of the gun. The boy looked at Mr Question Mark and he at him. There was no hesitation in Mr Question Mark's mind about what to do next. His regeneration took time to build up for the next one, around 6 hours, and he knew that his regenerations created no residual energy. Whatever wounds he maintained in the next 6 hours would stay there until he regenerated again. That didn't matter at all. There was no way he would die here. He still had a job to do. He reached the boy and pulled him into a tight embrace, shielding him with his body.

"Don't Daddy!" he heard from the small Marlene. "Denzel's-"

BOOM! The cannon fired.

* * *

Precia threw up. She hadn't gotten any sleep from the voice inside her head. It had calmed down but it hadn't disappeared completely. She didn't know why it kept on repeating the words 'Cause' and how it 'could not die.'

She wiped her mouth, flushing the toilet as she did so but still leaned over the bowl, hoping that she was done. She breathed heavily over the bowl and put her hand on the wall of the cubicle that she was on so that she could stand up.

She heard whispers outside the bathroom that she was in. Her father had come over to check up on her when one of the maids had heard her groaning from the pain in her chest and head and naturally, like any concerned father, he immediately went to see what was wrong with her.

She had gone to answer but instead she had gone and thrown up. She had then moved to her current spot where she was. She moved to the sink and washed her mouth.

"Are you alright dear?" she heard the voice form outside. Her mother wasn't up yet so her father had to look over her in her absence.

"Yeah." Precia replied weakly looking at herself in the mirror. The voice was still there, louder than it had it had been before. She didn't know what the 'Cause' was or why it couldn't die but she knew that her father would not believe in her. And anything that she told her maids or people she knew, they would tell her father. There was only one person that she knew that would hesitate to tell her father and that was Mr Question Mark.

She had no idea where he was but she knew how to contact him. She had asked for his number before he had left and he had given it to her, although he had said that he didn't know why she needed it. But she had insisted and he had given it to her. She would have to get to her phone sooner or later.

She came out if the bathroom, wiping her mouth. "I'm OK." She told her father. "Just a little sick." She laughed at herself internally at the weak lie. Her father seemed to catch on that it was a lie but didn't say anything.

"I just hope that you're okay." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We'll see how you are tomorrow and then we'll see if we have to call a doctor?" He kissed her forehead and the two moved towards her bedroom.

Precia just hoped that wherever Mr Question Mark was, he wasn't getting into any trouble.

* * *

He was still conscious even after the bullet had hit him in the back. Thankfully, it had missed is spine but he felt that a couple, or rather a majority, of his ribs were broken from the blast. The bullet hadn't gone all the way through his body but rather lodged inside. He knew that his clothes would have stitched back up thus closing all visible signs of the wound which was thankful. Now the only traces of the wound that he had received was the large blood spatter over the staircase.

He looked at the boy who he had protected, his grip loosened after the bullet hit, and found that he was looking at him to the blood on the walls and then back again. His mouth was open and Mr Question Mark could tell that he was about to shed tears soon. Too right as well. No kid should be exposed to this violence at such a young age. But it happened anyway.

Mr Question Mark knew that he wasn't going anywhere soon. He heard the steps of the people behind him approach and the boy looked up at them. Mr Question Mark was too tired to turn around and besides, although he couldn't see the wound he knew that it was probably a large one.

"You….you…" stammered the boy as he looked at the group.

"Denzel." Said a voice of the Cid. Somehow, was the voice getting softer? That couldn't be right. Why was it getting softer? "Come over here."

Mr Question Mark saw the tips of fingers stretch out in his vision and the boy, Denzel, took them and was lifted up as Cid lifted him over Mr Question Mark's body.

"Denzel!" Mr Question Mark heard the cry of Marlene behind him as well as the girl breaking into sobs. Another thing that happened at this moment was that Mr Question Mark felt the movement as his clothes as someone, he couldn't tell you, lifted up his shirt and blazer to assess the wound.

"Don't…touch….…the clothes." Mr Question Mark muttered, his face turned to the side as he now had no-one to look at as the boy. He observed the blood on the staircase. Surprisingly, there was very little. Had some of it sprayed onto the wall of the bar?

"Jesus." Said a voice, Barret's. "He's-he's still conscious. Despite the wound." The clothes were put back and Mr Question Mark didn't know what happened but he heard the sound of movement. Mr Question Mark felt what had happened an instant latter as he felt the staircase shake a tiny bit as someone stepped on it. The person, or animal, moved around the staircase until Mr Question Mark saw the person step into his vision. It was the spiky blond-haired man.

"You saved him. The boy. You didn't have to." Said the man. Mr Question Mark knew that he was losing conscious due to the fact that the voice of the man was getting softer and his vision was getting blurry.

"Felt like it." He answered, looking at the man. "So, can you take me to the City?"

The man looked at Mr Question Mark with a hard glare. "Just because you saved Denzel doesn't mean we're going to do you a favour."

Mr Question Mark blinked at the remark. He let out a sigh. He expected as such. Now all he had to do was wait for 6 hours before he could regenerate. Probably when he woke up, the wound would have healed.

"Tell me though." Said the man. "Why do you want to go to the City?"

"My answer is unchanged. Now, get me to the City, sir, so that I feel like I have a reason to have a hole in my back."

The man and Mr Question Mark looked at each other before the man looked up at the group behind him. Some kind of gestures were exchanged resulting in the man nodding before turning to Mr Question Mark and holding out a hand.

"Cloud." He said as he stated his name.

"Good for you." Replied Mr Question Mark as he closed his eyes, losing himself in the darkness that followed.

* * *

**And that's all she wrote. Don't worry, this only set up the stage for what's to come. And not only will Mr Question Mark have to deal with finding Aeris and ressurecting her but also has to deal with the problem that Precia has. What a workload!**

**If you read this, you are probably one of the first 100 to read it. Man, compared to my other story, this is just a footnote! Regardless, I will be persistent and keep at this story. Anyway:**

**Review, if you please.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sigh. after typing for around a few hours, here is the next chapter of the Lifestream Army. Not much to say here except that this chapter introduces the main bad guy of this saga. **

**Enjoy. **

* * *

When Mr Question Mark up, the first thing he noticed was the aching in his back. He instinctively reached at that spot and found that underneath his clothes, numerous bandages were wrapped around the wound. He dismissed the wound for the moment and looked at his surroundings. He was lying on the bottom of a bunk bed in a room. There was a door to his left and numerous other beds to his right and in front of him.

Standing up, and using the edge of the bunk as a support, he walked over to the door and opened it. It opened with a creak and Mr Question Mark took a look in front of him.

The scenery that opened in front of him was one of an airship. There was the faint hum of engines and Mr Question Mark saw that a part of the ship in front of him, guarded by railings, opened up to show the space beneath the ship. To his right, there was a stack of stairs that led to an upper floor and to his left; he saw that the bridge over the space in the floor led into another room. The talking from it indicated that there were people in there.

Mr Question Mark walked over to the handrail and looked down. Underneath the ship, there was a dark looking road. Its colour was a kind of dark blue and he couldn't tell whether or not it was because of the shadow of the ship. There was a rope ladder that led down from the handrail to the road below and Mr Question Mark guessed that the people aboard were ready to go down or they had already done so.

"You OK?" asked a voice behind him. Mr Question Mark turned around, leaning on the handrail as he did so and looked at the person behind him. Well, if they were a person. It was the red-dog like creature that had tried to bite him in the bar. Mr Question Mark looked at the creature- judging by the voice that Barret had identified, Mr Question Mark guessed that this was 'Red XIII'- and crossed his arms.

"Fine. Where's everyone else?" he asked. He had planned to go and get them to go along with him when they were to go get Aeris. It would be troublesome if they had already gone ahead. They might stuff up the whole process.

Red XIII flicked his tail and scratched an ear. "It' quite amazing that you're up already. It's been four hours since the bar. We only got here a while ago, preparations hindered our speed. But to think that you're up already. The repair job was quite-"

"Great." Butt in Mr Question Mark. "But where is everyone else?" He frowned at the creature. He didn't have time to go off on tangents about whatnot.

Red XIII tilted his head. "Why they're off getting Aeris's body of course. I was told to stay here, and although I was hesitant to do so, it just goes to show that you humans would be useless without me." Red XIII held his head up in pride but Mr Question Mark gritted his teeth and looked at the rope ladder.

If Cloud and the others had gone to get Aeris's body, then they would have to take it out of the lake that they had put it in. That was, if they even put it there. He was hazy on the actual details but they mustn't move that body from the lake. It was imperative that they keep it in the lake. Otherwise, Mr Question Mark couldn't revive her.

Mr Question Mark doubted that he would be able to catch up to them because of his wound but he still had to try. Now returning his attention to Red XII, he asked: "Is there any sort of transport here? Something fast will do."

Red XIII tilted his head. "You actually want to go there immediately? You haven't even been out for-"

"Fast transport. Where?" asked Mr Question Mark. He was getting annoyed with this creature's questions.

Frowning, Red XIII stood up and walked to a certain part of the airship, Mr Question Mark following. He soon found himself in front of a tarp covering what looked like to be a motorcycle. Red XIII removed the tarp and saw that indeed, it was one.

"This is Cloud's." said Red XIII. "He used the truck and so did everyone else so-"

Again, Mr Question Mark interrupted him. "It'll do."

* * *

Causing much ruckus as he moved the motorbike to the edge of the handrail and dropping it down, it was clear that the pilots of the ship were unhappy about what was going on. Mr Question Mark ignored them and went down the rope ladder and moved to the fallen motorbike with a grunt. He had now time to be messing around so he had to move quickly.

Getting the bike upright, Mr Question Mark heard the sound of pas on the stone next to him. He didn't have to turn to see that Red XIII was opposing this action of his greatly.

"I can't let you go." Said Red XIII. "I will use force if necessary but I was trusted to keep you here so I'm not going to betray that trust."

Listening, Mr Question Mark up righted the bike and sat on it, looking at Red XIII. "You're not stopping me." He said simply. "If you had to, you would've done it already. And besides, hitting someone's who already hurt is just wrong. So…." Mr Question Mark grinned. "Are you ready to go?"

He didn't need an answer as he rode forward, Red XIII bounding by his side.

The space around them was quite amazing to say the least. The trees around him were white and gave off a tranquil glow, as if something could disturb this place. His necktie flapping in the wind, Mr Question Mark focused on the road in front of him. There were two sets of tire tracks, both formed from the same vehicle. Mr Question Mark guessed that the others had gotten some sort of transport and by the looks of it, it was a truck. But how they had gotten it to the ground was a mystery to him.

Red XIII was silent by his side and so Mr Question Mark didn't bother talking. Clearly, Red XIII wanted to be there when Aeris was 'awoken' so it would be fine for Mr Question Mark if he tagged along. They continued to ride forward when Mr Question Mark heard something. It was faint over the sound of the bike but he heard it.

He slowed down the bike and listened again. There it was. A clanging sound. Mr Question Mark stopped the bike fully and heard it again. There were numerous clanging sounds in front of him. Feeling an ominous omen, Mr Question Mark got off the bike and leaned it against one of the trees. Red XIII's ears perked up at every clang and Mr Question Mark walked slowly forward towards the sound of the clanging, wanting to avoid being heard and also because his wound was hurting him. There were faint shapes in the distance and as the two got closer, it was clearer what those shapes were.

On the left was Cloud. His black get-up and his spiky hair were quite recognisable and he was wielding a large sound. It looked to be about twice Mr Question Mark's size and Cloud was manoeuvring it like a pro. But it was not Cloud that Mr Question Mark was interested in but rather his opponent.

His opponent was neither man nor woman. Not that it could be told what they were. They were wearing a large red cloak that covered their entire body and swayed as they dodged Cloud's strikes. Among the red cloak, there were numerous gold streaks and they ran from the top of the hood down to the bottom in straight lines. To the left of this scene, on Cloud's side, a truck could be seen. Like Mr Question Mark had done with the bike, it was parked next to a tree and its position indicated that it was ready to leave almost immediately after the group had gotten Aeris's body.

Red XIII snarled at the hooded figure as it continued to dodge the attacks that Cloud sent his way. Mr Question Mark started to sweat when he saw the figure. He recognised them. Not the person underneath them but the uniform. That red cloak was the mark of a follower of 'Iam'.

Mr Question Mark wondered what he was doing on this world in the first place and he blamed it on his own luck that he should encounter him again just after the incident of the Galactic Federation. Although the figure dodged Cloud's attacks, Mr Question Mark knew that they could do much more and when they wanted to fight, it was not something that was pleasant.

There was movement inside the truck and Mr Question Mark caught sight of it immediately. Indicating to Red XIII, he told him to go over to the truck to investigate it and Red XIII did as he was told. On the other hand, Mr Question Mark moved over to the right, to move among the trees as he got closer to the two fighters.

Doing his best to arm himself, Mr Question Mark reached for a fallen branch and picked it up, intending to use it as a weapon should he feel the need to do so.

There were more clangs as the hooded figure dodged and blocked mostly all of Cloud's attacks. Cloud, not saying anything continued his assault on the figure. By this time, Mr Question Mark was close enough that he heard the taunt of the person inside. The voice told him that it was a man.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I heard that you were better than this!" The figure blocked another one of Cloud's strikes and Cloud let out a kick causing the figure to jump back in order to dodge it.

"Shut up!" said Cloud. "We will get past you! We have to save our friend!"

Mr Question Mark caught sight of what was inside the truck as Red XIII appeared in the window. He caught sight of the faces of the ninja chick and Tifa underneath his heard before ducking around behind the part of the truck that he couldn't see. He judged that some of the group was also hiding behind the truck.

"Save your friend!? You couldn't save a teacup from falling!" taunted the man.

There was a sudden gunshot from behind Cloud and the figure quickly raised its hand. There was the sound of an impact on the figure's outstretched palm and smoke rose from it. Cloud gritted his teeth even further from the sight. Judging by his reaction, Mr Question Mark knew what had happened.

The followers were trained to immense level by 'Iam'. In order to be a fighting force that blindly followed his orders, Iam only trained those followers who had an obsession with his actions. And there were quite a lot of them. As such, they were put in training programs that would make someone in a wheelchair become more powerful than a professional soldier that had 20 years' experience. As such, they could harden their body's muscles should they focus and it was possible to block practically any attack.

Such an attack included bullets.

Said bullet dropped from the figure's hands and dropped to the floor. Mr Question Mark saw from where he was that the tip was all squished. Cloud tightened his grip on his sword.

"Why?" he asked. "Why are you stopping me?"

The figure merely stood there. "I was told not to let anyone reach the Ancient. As long as she's dead, there's nothing you can do."

"Reviving the dead?!" shouted Cloud back at the figure. "That's impossible! We just want to see her!"

"Make your visits to a tombstone you have somewhere else. You did make a tombstone right?" asked the figure. He raised an arm and held it in front of him. "Regardless, I cannot have you pass this point."

Mr Question Mark frowned. The followers only received orders from Iam himself. It made them clear and prevented others from following other followers. If there was one stationed here then it had to be because Iam had specifically asked one of them to be here. But why did he want no-one to have access to Aeris? It made Mr Question Mark want to ask her even more questions.

Right now, there were two options available to him. Either he could take on the figure with Cloud and the others, or he could go ahead and find Aeris. He groaned. He was all for going ahead but if he was spotted, here would be a chance that the follower would see him and that wouldn't end well or Cloud. So, that only left taking on the follower.

What he needed now was a strategy to attack. The branch he held in his hand would definitely not do it so….

There was a cracking of wood above him and Mr Question Mark spun around, brandishing the branch like a weapon looking up at where the sound had come from. The figure that caused the noise looked back and Mr Question Mark exhaled. It was only the ninja chick.

Mr Question Mark didn't know why he was so jumpy. He knew that in order to preserve his troops, Iam only sent in one at a time and in extreme cases, he would never go over 5. It was probably because he couldn't regenerate in the next 2 hours or so that must have been the case.

Mr Question Mark looked up at the ninja and she dropped down and approached him with scary stealth. When she was n talking distance she whispered to him: "Red XIII was right. You are OK."

Mr Question Mark nodded and pointed to the figure. He had dashed forward and Cloud was pushing him back with his own strength. "Why is only Cloud fighting?"

"If we leave Marlene or Denzel alone, the guy might get them off guard." Reported the ninja. She blinked after she had finished and stared at him. "That's right. I haven't told you my name. Yuffie." She said, sticking a hand out.

Mr Question Mark nodded and looked back at the figure. The group was obviously cautious enough to protect the weaker ones. Judging by the fact that Yuffie was here and there was a gunshot earlier, Mr Question Mark reckoned that the marksmen were placed around the figure and taking opportunities to fire at him. That was good that Yuffie was next to him however, it would not do much, otherwise the follower would already be dead or knocked out.

But…..now that Yuffie was here….

"Yuffie" said Mr Question Mark as he leaned closer. "I want you to go do something for me…."

* * *

Cloud parried the elbow that was coming his way and jumped back, panting. The figure in front of him though didn't even look tired. Cloud frowned. Even now, this guy should be out of energy. It was unlikely to be the case but this stamina was along the lines of SOLDIER. And this guy being in soldier was extremely unlikely. Cloud himself had seen most of them and he had never seen this guy.

"As you can see, it is futile to fight against me." Said the figure. "Now if you don't go back, I'm afraid that I'll have to kill you."

Cloud was about to retort back but his gaze wavered on something that had come out of the trees. How was that kid even able to stand let alone walk over here? He had been shot in the back not even 4 hours ago? Was he insane?

"OI!" Cloud shouted "Are you stupid!? Go back!"

The figure turned around and looked at Mr Question Mark. He had come out of the trees holding only what he had gotten from them. The branch in his hand that looked like a sword because of the way that held it.

The figure looked at him but Mr Question Mark knew the expression that would be most likely on his face. A grin. As Iam was someone who wanted Mr Question Mark dead no matter the cost, his followers believed the same thing. And any follower who saw Mr Question Mark would immediately want to kill him. It was always the same case.

"What are you doing here?" asked the figure. "Last I heard you had stopped the Star Converter."

Mr Question Mark gave the figure a blank stare, ignoring the shocked expression of Cloud. It was obvious that he would be shocked that they knew each other. "I don't suppose you want to chat? Don't you have something better to do?"

There was silence that followed the figure unsure on whether to attack to boy in front of him. Mr Question Mark always had a trick up his sleeve. Something always didn't fit and that was when he attacked. But now would be the best chance to attack. So the follower took it.

He leaped forward, the short dagger that he had used to block Cloud's attacks in his hand, ready to plunge into Mr Question Mark's chest. That was when he moved. Mr Question Mark stepped forward, using one hand to slightly move the branch in his hand.

That was it! The thing that didn't fit! That meant….. The figure jumped back, avoiding the blow that Mr Question Mark would likely use with the branch. Mr Question Mark moved quickly. Now that the figure was in the air, he couldn't react to any blows as quickly as he normally would have. And one blow that would be most effective…

Mr Question Mark threw the throwing star that he had borrowed from Yuffie. It sailed in the air and hit the follower in the side, the suddenness of the blow preventing the follower from tensing up his muscles. He cried out and landed on the ground, using one hand to remove the throwing star. There was something wet on it but the follower merely thought that it was sweat.

He glared at Mr Question Mark with a hateful glare. The boy was simply giving the follower a neutral glare and pointed the branch at him. "Bang!" he said to him, using the branch to simulate a gun. At the same time, the follower's vision blurred.

The follower was confused but not by his vision blurring. Mr Question Mark couldn't turn materials into others like an alchemist. There was no way that he could-

The follower realised what was going to happen. Although, Mr Question Mark had stolen all of his attention, he had naturally focused on attacking him and not the people around him. Like the marksmen behind him. The follower focused his energy on his back where the bullet would hit him-

BANG! A gunshot echoed through the air and the follower grunted. He stared at his stomach. Blood. Blood was flowing from it. He looked up at Mr Question Mark and saw that he had put the branch down. Had-had the branch actually been a gun in disguise? There was no way but somehow he had been shot-

He saw a man appear from the trees behind Mr Question Mark. He had a large yellow claw on one hand and walked without a care. In one hand, he held a gun. That was when the follower discovered his mistake.

Mr Question Mark knew that the followers attacked Mr Question Mark with extreme caution. Perhaps too much. This much was clear in the fact that the follower had leaped back simply from him moving a useless branch in one hand. Now that he was immobile in the air Mr Question Mark had thrown the shuriken and naturally it had hit.

Now that the cool that the follower had created was lost now that he had actually been wounded, anxiety filled the gap. He had forgotten about the marksmen until Mr Question Mark had reminded him and had assumed that Mr Question Mark had utilised the talents of one of them behind the followers. So naturally, the follower had tensed up the muscles in his back. And that was where the trap sprung shut.

Reverse psychology. Telling the truth thinking that the person you are telling will think that you are lying, the same concept was clear here. By assuming that the gunner was behind him, the follower had forgotten to consider that there might be more than one. A simple idea but one that had resulted in his defeat.

Hang on. That gunshot shouldn't have done the job unless it had been fired at his head. So why was he losing energy so fast? The follower remembered the wetness of the shuriken from before. Could it be?

"Poison on the shuriken, preventing you from moving while you're being shot. Even had you tensed your muscles, the bullet would have gone through anyway." Explained Mr Question Mark as he moved forward. The follower could hardly move a muscle let along fight back. When Mr Question Mark had gotten close enough the cut the follower's throat he kicked the small blade away. "The first blow finishes it." Said Mr Question Mark as he took the shuriken from the grip of the man. "Good thing ninjas carry all types of poisons huh?" he said.

The follower didn't say anything and looked at Mr Question Mark. "My-my death won't be the end. We'll destroy you once and for all Mr Question Mark." Said the man.

Mr Question Mark looked at the man before reaching into his blazer and pulling out a small bottle filed with liquid. He unscrewed the bottle and the man could only watch as he poured it onto the wound that the shuriken had made.

"Who said anything about dying?" asked Mr Question Mark. "The marksman back there only aimed for somewhere that would not make you want to move around too much but you'll be fine. The antidote has been administered anyway so you'll just feel really bad in the morning." Mr Question Mark smiled and pocketed the bottle. "But remember this. Next time, I won't be so nice."

And with that, Mr Question Mark, using the branch, smashed it over the man's head, resulting in him losing consciousness.

* * *

Cloud watched at Mr Question Mark is shock as he took out an enemy using a simple tactic like reverse psychology and poison. Mr Question Mark merely threw the shuriken back at Yuffie and walked to the truck that was off to the side. Before he went to it though, he looked at Cloud and said: "Thanks for your bike. Red XIII will show you where."

He then moved to the back of the truck, in the space where large items could be stored and jumped into it.

"Hurry up!" he shouted. "I want to get there ASAP!" Tifa came from behind the truck and went over to Cloud and the two of them looked at the boy. Yuffie came over and looked as well.

"All he said was that he needed a shuriken, poison and a gunman to come over there and wait for the signal." She said. "I would have said that it was one of the most stupid ideas ever. Reverse psychology is always a coin. Sometimes you get heads, sometimes it's tails. This was some chance idea." She shrugged and walked towards the truck.

Tifa turned to Cloud, awaiting opinion.

"We said that we'd give him a go." He explained "I'm willing to do that. For Aeris." He said as he felt her gaze and shouted out Red XIII's name in order so that he could show him where Mr Question Mark had parked his bike.

After he had gotten it and regrouped back with the others he looked at Mr Question Mark who was looking back at him.

"Thanks" said Cloud towards the boy.

Mr Question Mark nodded and then said to the driver. "Try not to drive over that guy when we pass him."

There was a grumble from the front and the truck drove off towards the lake where Aeris was buried, passing the body of the follower on the way. When they did, the truck went back on the path and drove off.

Mr Question Mark sat thinking the whole way to the lake.

What did Iam have to do with all of this?

Regardless, Mr Question Mark had only one thing to do know.

Revive the Ancient.

* * *

**Alrighty then. After all of that (not really much. somehow when I write my other fanfiction, i have more energy in these introduction) I hope that you can look forward to my next chapter. i will be XXXX amount of words and Aeris will be revived. But how will Mr Question Mark do it?**

**Regardless,  
Review if you please**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ah. At last. After a long break, here's another chapter of the Lifestream Army. Here's where stuff happens. It's great to have holidays (and not so great to have homework) Anyway, here's the new addition. and a disclaimer (because I can't remeber if I put one in)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, nor Final Fantasy 7 nor the little reference to To Aru Majutsu No Index.**

* * *

The rumble of the wheels of the truck moved was quite calming for him as they moved. There was conversation around Mr Question Mark but he mainly just ignored it as he sat thinking. He didn't know why the follower was stationed here but for some reason this tied in with Iam. He sighed. Problem after problem, he reflected.

"I'm supposed to be on holiday… he mumbled. His back ached slightly from his confrontation with the follower but it wasn't something that he couldn't handle. He looked towards the front of the truck and saw what appeared to be a large shell behind a pool that shone with the same eeriness that the City of Ancients gave off.

"That's where she's buried" said Cloud as he saw his gaze.

"In the water?" Mr Question Mark asked as he reached for his sonic screwdriver. He scanned the lake and read the readings, satisfied with the amount of Lifestream that it was giving off.

"Yes." Replied the marksman who had shot the follower. After brief introductions, Mr Question Mark knew his name to be Vincent. Mr Question Mark, focused on other things hadn't given his name but he didn't think about it too much. The others on the other hand seemed to be a bit annoyed with that fact but Mr Question Mark didn't care too much.

Mr Question Mark reached into his blazer and pulled out his glasses, using them to get a better view of the upcoming lake.

It was isolated. There was a sort of road indent to the side but apart from that it took up the entire road. The soft breeze that was blowing made the water move silently. If someone hadn't pointed it out, Mr Question Mark would have never known whether or not there was a body at the bottom.

Patting the top of the truck and telling the others to stop. The truck slowed down and Mr Question Mark got out before it actually completely stopped. He walked over to the water's edge and used one hand to splash some of it onto his face. The cool water felt unnaturally nice, almost as if there had never been something to disturb it in the hundreds of years that it had been here. Effects of the Lifestream, Mr Question Mark guessed.

There was movement behind him and Mr Question Mark turned to see that Cloud had parked his bike near the water's edge and was looking at it in a melancholy way. The others were doing the same, just….looking at the water. Mr Question Mark turned back to the water and put one hand underneath the surface of the water, touching the ground underneath the water, taking some of it.

He ground it in his hands. He frowned. There was no sound as the others simply looked at the water with those glances. There was not a sound. Apart from the follower, this place was barren. No life apart from the trees. No sounds of animals rustling in the bushes. On the way here, Mr Question Mark was certain that there had been some creatures but strangely there was nothing here.

If the follower, a killer, someone who worked for Iam, didn't scare away wildlife, then what did?

Mr Question Mark stood up and turned to the others, walking over to the truck, searching the back. Cait Sith came up to him while he searched.

"Hey, hey." He said. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for medical kit." Said Mr Question Mark simply. "I'd rather not use the supplies that I have. Wanna help?"

Cait Sith nodded and moved towards the truck at it was hardly a minute before he found what Mr Question Mark was looking for. He passed it to the boy and he nodded, before taking it with him towards the lake edge.

He opened it and looked inside taking out a small bottle filed with pills. He opened it and put two pills in his hand before turning to the others.

"OK. Here's what's going to happen. You are going to stand back. I need time and you want me to finish. Our goals coincide. So let me do my work."

"Question." Said Barret as he looked Mr Question Mark. "Why do you even want to do this?"

"A problem came up. Something that I chose to deal with."

"What kind of problem?" asked Marlene. Although she was too young to physically fight she still wanted to know what was going on.

"You know how I said I'm going to resurrect this Ancient? I know that it will probably work because it's been done before." Stated Mr Question Mark.

"Why do you know that?" asked Cloud.

"There are two reasons for this. One is that I've seen it done in similar circumstances. Now these conditions are that there has to be a place of concentrated Lifestream energy to keep the spirit of the deceased both alive although it's dead. The Lifestream provides it with so much energy that this is possible. As such, if the body is removed from the Lifestream-"

"Then the spirit will inhibit the body making them 'rise'" finished Vincent.

"Yes." Said Mr Question Mark. "To an extent. We'll just have to see how this goes." He swallowed the pills and turned to the lake, walking into it, keeping an eye on the ground so he could see where it dropped."

"Wait a minute." Said Cloud. "You said that you've seen it done before. Who was resurrected? And what were those pills?"

"Those pills were painkillers. My back is killing me, now thanks to Barret over there. As for the person who rose from the dead, let's just say that it's someone who caused a lot of trouble a few years ago."

"Who?" asked Tifa.

Mr Question Mark saw that the bottom of the lake sloped downwards in a large way and turned back to face her before diving in.

"Sephiroth."

He didn't even catch a glimpse of their shocked faces as he dove into the water.

* * *

The water was calming. Almost too calming. Tranquillity ruled this place that much was certain and Mr Question Mark felt a pang of guilt as he disturbed it but he continued to swim down into the lake.

There was a tightness in his chest as he continued to swim down where Sephiroth had stabbed him but he didn't think much of it as he continued down the lake. He focused his eyes but he couldn't see well in the murkiness of the lake.

Just my luck, he thought, looking for something I can't see. Mr Question Mark didn't think it would be something like this but he wasn't known for his good luck. I mean, just recently, he had just fought the Cybermen and been blown up inside an armoury. And now he was swimming to fight against an unknown threat.

Just how unlucky am I? he wondered. He pondered the thought when someone caught his vision. It was black, but then again, everything in here was black and had a distinct outline. An outline of a person. Mr Question Mark went down further into the lake and grabbed the object. It was soft in his hand and was smooth. Mr Question Mark was satisfied. This was indeed a person.

He started to swim up, the task harder than when he was swimming down due to the extra weight. All he had to do was remove her from the Lifestream and then the process should be complete. Severing the connection should do the trick. Mr Question Mark looked up and kept on swimming upwards.

The tightness in his chest got looser as he swam up, Mr Question Mark wondering what it was in the first place. The thought was short lived as he felt a different tightness. One in his lungs.

Damn it! He thought. Don't tell me I'm already out of breath! It figured. He was at a depth that of he didn't know and the extra time that was needed to bring Aeris to the surface was definitely not enough.

Regardless, Mr Question Mark continued to swim, the surface so close that it was almost mocking him. His arms felt tired and so did his legs. It was hard to find anything that wasn't aching of his. His vision got weaker although the light at the surface got stronger.

Under the water, Mr Question Mark gritted his teeth. There was no way that he was dying here. He had been in a situation like this numerous times but he had always made it out relatively OK. Today was no different. He had something to fight for, something to protect. Not only was this world counting on Aeris to come back to life and tell Mr Question Mark what he needed to know, Aeris was counting on him to do so. So was Cloud, Tifa, Barret, everyone above the surface. Right now, what he was doing was not protecting their world, but saving. Saving the one person who could make a difference.

And screw me if I'm going to die here!

Mr Question Mark swam as fast as he could despite the weight and breathed in a breath of fresh air, ignoring the water that went into his mouth as well as soon as he broke the surface, coughing as he did so. He pulled Aeris up as well and the others pulled them both up to the edge of the pool.

Their speech was inaudible to him, as he looked at Aeris, or more accurately at her mouth. It was wet and drops of water moved near her lips. They moved. That told Mr Question Mark only one thing. That she was alive. It has actually worked.

"Now let's hope that my luck doesn't go rotten." Said Mr Question Mark softly as he let his eyes fall. He needed a rest. Badly.

Yet, unbeknownst to him, the universe wasn't going to make it that easy. The resulting threat would only reveal itself soon. It was too weak…..too weak….

* * *

Mr Question Mark woke up to something shaking his side. He opened his eyes, drops of water from the lake clouding his vision so he rubbed them and looked to the side that had been shaken.

Cait Sith was before him and handed him a towel. Mr Question Mark accepted it without a word and started to wipe his face clean before giving it back.

"How long was I out?" he asked the creature.

"Not long." Came the reply. "10 minutes. Aeris is still unconscious though. Still breathing which is good."

Mr Question Mark nodded and tried to stand up, grunting as he did so. His legs hurt from all the swimming that he had done and that odd feeling in his chest when he had gone in made him feel a bit uneasy. He didn't know what the feeling was but he let it slide.

"Where is she?" he said, cracking a stiff neck.

"Over here." Cait Sith pointed and then led the way, Mr Question Mark hobbling behind, looking at the creature. Mr Question Mark figured that he would be spending a lot of time with this new group and he might as well take the chance to get to know them better.

"So, why do you have an artificial body? Is it controlled remotely or something?" he asked.

Cait Sith turned around and Mr Question Mark guessed his expression was what passed off to be as surprised. It was clear what he wanted to ask.

Mr Question Mark pointed to Cait Sith's back. "Stitching." He said. "There's stitching on your back. Not from an old wound, otherwise it wouldn't be that obvious but more or rather a patch up job. There's care in the stitching itself, not professional, but sentimental. Like you wanted to keep that body. The way that you move is strange as well. You prance about like you weigh almost next to nothing yet you don't run out of energy. The only thing that is similar to you in my eyes is an automated robot. Or toy. Whatever."

Cait Sith turned to look at his back and saw the said stitching. He looked back up at Mr Question Mark. "So I have an artificial body. What of it?"

Mr Question Mark stopped and gazed hard at the creature. "Nothing. But you best be careful. Having a body that doesn't die causes overconfidence. Just remember that if you get shot in your real body, you will die."

Cait Sith stopped as well and the two looked at each other. "You don't think I know that?"

Mr Question Mark strode on ahead. "Dunno. But it's good to know that we have someone who can be replaced."

He didn't look back as he walked forward, seeing everyone crowded around the fallen figure of Aeris, Cait Sith slowly following him. He silently pushed Tifa and Barret out of the way and knelt down to Aeris, taking her pulse. It was slow, her breathing the same.

"Will she be OK?" asked Marlene from the side. Mr Question Mark didn't say anything. He had expected her to be fatigued but she should have woken up by now. Frowning, he slapped her cheek, her head lolling listlessly as he did so.

"Hey! What the hell!?" cried Cloud as he reached for Mr Question Mark's arm. Mr Question Mark felt Cloud's hard grip but he didn't care. Frowning still he looked up at the lake that lay before the group. He had pulled her out and she was alive but why wasn't she awake? It seemed unlikely that it was just fatigue; after all, she had been practically asleep for 3 years.

Puzzled, her reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, running it down her body and up again. In a quick motion he read the reading.

_Status: Both organisms are alive._

Both organisms? There was more than one? Mr Question Mark did another scan, identifying the organisms.

_Both organisms have a humanoid structure. Both organisms have the same shape and cellular structure. Difference in the two is Lifestream consumption. Organism One has 20%, Organism Two has 100%. Overall analysis, both organisms are the same except in this regard._

Organism Two has 100% Lifestream consumption? Mr Question Mark checked the readings again. That meant that one organism in front of him was made up of purely Lifestream. But where was it? Inside Aeris? If that were true, he could disperse it from her body.

Still unsure, he pointed the screwdriver at her and pushed the button. A low humming sound reverberated from the tip and then it stopped. Had it worked? Mr Question Mark was sure that it had but nothing had happened? Then again what was going to? And what was this organism that was full of Lifestream? It was almost like it came from the Lifestream itself and –

The Lifestream itself? The only source of the Lifestream was the lake and it was calm. Well, it was calm before. Now, small ripples floated along the surface of the lake, starting from the centre. The air changed as well. Before, the air was calm but now it had the scent of danger. Whatever was coming out of the lake, it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Oh boy." Said Mr Question Mark. He had to act fast, getting everyone to co-operate as quickly as possible. He turned and looked at Cloud who was still holding his arm. "Cloud, listen to me. We have to act fast. Get Aeris on the truck, front or back, I don't care."

Cloud opened his mouth but Mr Question Mark got to it first. "No questions, just-"

He never finished as the lake burst from the centre. What came out of it was something that Mr Question Mark couldn't describe. One thing about it though, it looked exactly like Aeris. Face, body, height, everything. The only difference was that its entire body was emerged in a green colour. Different parts of it were different shades of green, its eyes the brightest green.

"What is that?" whispered Vincent in awe at the creature.

Mr Question Mark took his arm out of Clouds grip and grabbed the limp body of Aeris, the Lifestream Aeris watching attentively as he did so. "That's not good! Get to the truck!" He stood up and ran off, everyone taking steps back but still keeping an eye on the Lifestream Aeris, its eyes focused on Mr Question Mark.

Mr Question Mark put Aeris's body in the back of the truck and turned to everyone approaching the truck slowly. He too looked at the Lifestream Aeris and it looked back at him. That odd feeling in his chest rose up again. It was a strange tightness that he wasn't comfortable with and he personally felt that if he was exposed to it for a long time, he would throw up.

He reached for his sonic screwdriver in is blazer and pointed it and the Lifestream Aeris. Almost as if it was responding to the threat it opened its mouth and roared. It teeth sharpened almost scaringly giving it the look of a demon and the roar itself was so loud that Mr Question Mark couldn't think of anything but to cover his ears. He kept his eyes of the creature the entire time and when it closed its mouth, everyone reacted.

Mr Question Mark ran for the back of the truck while the others all readied what weapons they had. Barret was the only one who didn't do so as he led Denzel and Marlene towards the front of the truck in the driver's seat and looked at Mr Question Mark. "You take care a' them. You hear?" he didn't give time for Mr Question Mark to respond as he ran off.

Mr Question Mark swore and took up Aeris's body and put it in the front seat too, looking back at the others and the Lifestream Aeris. Vincent had attempted to shoot it and that caused it to identify its first targets, the people down below. It headed towards them and its hands changed almost immediately to form claws that it used to swipe at them.

Cloud, Tifa and Vincent rolled out of the way, Cloud swinging his blade towards the Lifestream Aeris. It struck and its arm detached making it give another roar. Tifa came in from behind; sending a fist towards the creature's temple but it lowered its head and swiped at her using its other arm. Tifa stepped back but cried out in surprise, not because she was hit but because of the arm that lay on the ground, the one Cloud had cut off. It had gripped her leg, preventing her from moving large distance, making her vulnerable to the strike from the Lifestream Aeris.

Vincent reacted first, attacking the claw with his own. Cloud moved and pushed Tifa out of the way, making her dodge the oncoming claw.

"Barret!" he called.

The only response that came was an onslaught on bullets, hitting the Lifestream Aeris while it cried out what could only be called the substitute for a scream. That was it, thought Mr Question Mark. He smashed the glass that connected the front to the back of the truck and turned to the children.

"Do you know how to drive?" he asked them. They responded with blank stares. "Good. A lesson in ten seconds. Denzel you go down under that panel and you see that pedal of the right? Push it when I say. Marlene, turn the wheel so you don't hit anything."

Mr Question Mark reached for the handbrake and turned it off, putting the care into drive. Thank goodness for automatic he thought. "Push it!" he said to Denzel.

The only answer he got was the sudden movement of the car. Mr Question Mark looked behind and saw the continued fight between the Lifestream Aeris and the rest. He turned to the passenger seat and the unconscious Aeris. He reached out over her and plucked her seatbelt in.

"Safety first" he muttered and looked to the front, watching the expanse ahead of them. The road was straight, good as Marlene was driving. At the thought of that, Mr Question Mark sweatdropped. Maybe I should tell Barret, he thought but immediately reconsidered it. They were travelling awfully fast, but Mr Question Mark had no intention of slowing down. He turned and saw the group fighting the Lifestream Aeris in the distance. He hoped that Cloud had the upper hand when he felt a vibration in his blazer pocket. He pulled out what he knew was causing the vibration. His cell phone.

He answered it, still keeping his eyes on the road in front of them and occasionally looking behind and as such he didn't see the caller ID. He flipped the phone open and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Ah. Mr Question Mark?" came the voice from the other end." Not recognising the voice he had a look at the caller ID.

"Precia?" he asked, confirming what the caller ID said. "What is it?"

"Ah. W-Well…." Precia began. Mr Question Mark scowled. It was his holiday. Why was she calling? Was something wrong? His mind went over the worst-case scenarios for what could have happened.

"Are you OK?" he suddenly shouted. "What happened?"

"N-Nothing." Came the relieved reply. Mr Question Mark didn't know she was relieved at all. "It's just I had a bad night and I just wanted to talk to you."

"Isn't that something that you should speak to your father about?" he asked. Checking behind him. Cloud and the others were barely visible so Mr Question Mark decided to keep an eye on the road ahead.

"Well, I just wanted to talk to you. My father already knows about it." Came the reply

"OK then, well just WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!" he yelled to Marlene who had taken an interest in the conversation was looking at him. She sudden fright that she had caused to car to swerve resulting in yells from all the passengers except the unconscious Aeris.

"S-Sorry." Said Mr Question Mark into the phone as he glared at Marlene. "Continue."

"Are you in a car?" asked Precia. "Where are you anyway? What are you-"

"Anyway, tell me about what happened." Said Mr Question Mark in an annoyed voice. It was then that he heard what she had experienced. The voice and the Cause. Mr Question Mark felt intrigued at every detail. But what struck him as odd was the fact that according to her the voice had gotten louder in the night. If Mr Question Mark remembered, that would be around the time he had been shot by Barret and attacked by Sephiroth. Was it connected?

"What do you think it means?" asked Precia as Mr Question Mark pondered that very thought. He was about to answer when he turned to look behind the truck and his eyes widened. Without so much as a warning, he grabbed the wheel and made a sharp turn to the left. Marlene and Denzel cried out….

…just as Cloud's motorbike smashed onto the road where they had just been. As soon as it hit the ground, it kicked up dust before it tumbled, rolling over itself again and again before coming to a stop. Marlene, Denzel and Mr Question Mark quickly passed the truck itself and Mr Question Mark looked behind the tuck again, to see the faint glow of green.

"Don't tell me…..it threw the bike!?" he exclaimed.

'But Cloud! And Daddy!" said Marlene in shock as she realised what it meant. If the Lifestream Aeris was behind them, then what had happened to the fighters?

"Mr Question Mark?! What's going on?" cried the concerned voice of Precia on the other said of the phone. "Where are you?"

Using his free hand, Mr Question Mark reached for his gun in the back of his pants. He pulled it out and before firing, said into the phone, "Precia! Listen to me! That voice or whatever, it's inside your head. Next time you hear it, don't ignore it but listen to it. It might tell you what that 'Cause' is!" Before she could protest he hung up and turned to Marlene.

"You might want to cover your ears." He said, earning a nod as she conveyed the message to Denzel. She put a thumbs up. The truck was still moving so Mr Question Mark figured that Denzel was using his feet on the pedal. As for the wheel, Marlene was using one hand to drive it, using her shoulder and the other arm to block her ears.

Mr Question Mark fired the gun at the bike numerous times. He didn't know what shot did it but the bike burst into flames, the road behind them lighting up with flames. Now that the gun had stopped Marlene used both hands on the wheel and Mr Question Mark focused on the road behind them.

As the flames got smaller and smaller as they got further away Mr Question Mark was satisfied. He put the gun in his pants and sat down in between Marlene and the unconscious Aeris.

"What was that thing?" asked Marlene in parts confusion and fright.

"I have no idea." Said Mr Question Mark. "I'm just guessing but it might be part of Aeris that was left behind when she was taken out, or it might be the Lifestream remembering what it 'owned' and then using that form to retrieve it back. Probably the latter than the former though. But it's very interesting. The Lifestream in a physical form. I have to say that it does pique my curiosity quite a-"

Mr Question Mark never finished as the lower left corner of the corner jerked suddenly, causing the truck to spin out of control. Marlene screamed and Mr Question Mark said nothing, somewhat concerned for Denzel who was probably being thrown around.

Grabbing the wheel, Mr Question Mark straightened out the vehicle but it was not before he saw what was on the back of the truck. The Lifestream Aeris was lying there with a sick facial expression, it being a mix of an ugly hate and immense anger. It wanted its property back. It wanted Aeris.

Without warning, it stuck a clawed hand through the window and Mr Question Mark moved against Aeris's unconscious body to avoid it. The claw pierced through the dashboard and there was a sick sound of metal being crushed. Mr Question Mark knew that his gun would be of no help now, only his sonic screwdriver would help now. But that was not the main issue. Marlene and Denzel were in danger and he would be damned if he allowed them to be hurt.

"Denzel!" said Mr Question Mark. "Hit the pedal in the middle! Marlene, hold on!" The Lifestream Aeris looked at Mr Question Mark with that same expression and Mr Question Mark returned it with one of his own.

"Safety first." He said as he buckled his seat belt. Almost immediately after that, the car lurched forward, drawn to a sudden stop after being moving so fast. The momentum threw the Lifestream Aeris threw the window, wrenching its claw out of the dashboard. It tumbled onto the road and Mr Question Mark hurried out of the car, carrying Aeris, followed by Marlene and then Denzel.

Before they could go anywhere Mr Question Mark leaned against the car. "Alright you guys." he said talking to the children. "You guys go back the way that we came. Catch up to others and tell them to catch up to me."

"What about you?!" asked Denzel.

"I've got what that creature wants. Aeris. Don't worry about me, just go. Go!" he indicated for them to hurry up and the two scrambled away, occasionally looking back at him.

Mr Question Mark got out his sonic screwdriver and looked around the front of the truck. The Lifestream Aeris had stood up but had not moved, eyeing where Mr Question Mark was. Waiting for its prey to make its next move. Mr Question Mark gulped and turned to the unconscious Aeris.

"Man, you are a pain." And with that he stood up and walked towards the Lifestream Aeris. All he had to do was disperse the Lifestream but he doubted it would take one short press of a button to do so. It would most likely have to be extended. If only he had an opportunity to do so…

"You didn't kill the others did you?" he said, attempting to lower the guard of the creature. "There's no blood on you so they're most probably knocked out or a bit shaken up."

The creature didn't answer. Mr Question Mark figured that was a signal saying that he could continue. "I know that you want Aeris back but I can't do that. There's a problem with you. With the Lifestream. You should know what has happened to Sephiroth."

Again, no answer. The Lifestream Aeris just stared back at him. "And I need answers. And Aeris is the one who can give them to me. No-one understands the Lifestream more than her. And well you. But I don't think you would help me."

This time there was an answer, a wheezing noise that sounded like someone choking yet trying to speak. "It is not of our concern. The Ancient's body is ours. What happened with Sephiroth was not our fault. It is the fault of an inhabitant of this universe. Not ours. Therefore we have no obligation to prevent it."

Mr Question Mark twitched. "So you would save the planet from Meteor's destruction yet not from Sephiroth?"

"What the inhabitants cause is their problem. The Meteor would have destroyed the Lifestream as well. We had to act. But this is not the case now. Therefore we will not act."

Mr Question Mark clenched his fist that was not holding the sonic screwdriver. "So, you won't stand up for your inhabitants?"

"That is correct."

Mr Question Mark let out a dark smile. "Then that gives reason enough to disperse you." Quickly, Mr Question Mark pointed the sonic screwdriver at the creature and pressed the button. The Lifestream Aeris let out a roar and leapt towards Mr Question Mark, swinging its claws, a blow that Mr Question Mark dodged by moving backwards. Still keeping his hand on the sonic screwdriver, he launched a kick towards the gut of the Lifestream Aeris, feeling it connect.

It stumbled back, letting out the same roar and swung its claw again. Mr Question Mark ducked below the claw, grabbing it as it headed above him and shoved the screwdriver into its arm. The creature roared as the Lifestream in its arm was dispersed at a faster rate due to direct contact, the arm dissolving and disappearing as if it was touched by acid.

The creature leaped back and launched its other arm towards Mr Question Mark, its arm extending twice, three times, four times its original length. Mr Question Mark responded by running forward and shoving the screwdriver into the open arm in front of him, all the while keeping the button pressed.

As soon as it penetrated the hand, it sizzled the same way with the other arm before dropping off. Using his other hand, Mr Question Mark grabbed what was left over of the arm and pulled the creature towards him, the creature roaring as it did so.

It angled its body so that it came faster at Mr Question Mark, an action that he had not anticipated. He tried to step back but felt something grab his leg. The leftover of the still dissolving hand. Mr Question Mark knew that he creature was aiming for the hand with the screwdriver, so-

He let go of the arm and put it in front of him, the creature's teeth sinking deep into his flesh, blood dripping off his arm and the Lifestream Aeris's teeth. That was not all though; an immense pain burst from his stomach from where he had been stabbed by Sephiroth not 2 days before. He thought he heard something rid inside of him and the pain continued. Had it been his skin? Or an organ? That didn't matter now. He was close. So close.

He looked at the creature that was biting into his arm, the sick expression changed to one of surprise. It stared at him.

"You aren't an inhabitant of this world…" it said, almost as if it could through his blood.

"So?" he responded. "If you will abandon the people of this planet just so you, the Lifestream can survive, THEN LET ME DESTROY THAT ILLUSION OF YOURS!"

He ploughed the screwdriver into the creature's face the pain from it causing the creature to bite down harder onto his arm, not that Mr Question Mark cared. He kept the screwdriver in place until the Lifestream Aeris had let go of his arm. It collapsed onto the ground, twitching occasionally its eyes boring into Mr Question Mark as he looked down at the creature.

"If you won't stand up for them, then I will. Remember who your opponent is and choose wisely." He turned and walked away from the creature, putting his sonic screwdriver back into his blazer pocket.

The pain in his stomach was receding but not the pain in his arm. He wondered if that pain in his stomach would become a hindrance for him later on. He almost laughed how he was more focused on his stomach rather than his arm. He looked at it.

The holes from the teeth were placed in obscure places, the skin around it a dark green, probably the effects of the Lifestream. He thought he could see bone through the holes and he cringed. That would need to be patched up. He didn't want to regenerate in the case the unexpected happens so he would most likely need a cast.

He reached the edge of the truck and leaned against it, near to where Aeris was. "Still though," he mumbled. "Let me destroy that illusion of yours? I think that I'll have to apologise to that Kamijou for using his phrase."

He glanced at the unconscious Aeris, or rather, the formerly unconscious Aeris. Her eyelids were slightly fluttering and after slapping her face, Mr Question Mark found that she was quite quick to recover.

The Lifestream Aeris must have been sealing her consciousness, concluded Mr Question Mark as he clicked his fingers in front of her. "Hey. You OK?" he asked.

Grabbing her attention, Aeris angled her head to look at him in the face. "You….." she said.

"Yeah. To think that the ghost I talked to ended up being the person I wanted to find." He said with a grin.

Her eyes lowered to his arm and her eyes widened. "Your arm….." she said weakly. Obviously she was not up to running a marathon.

"Don't worry. It'll be seen to. Besides, Cloud and the others will be here soon."

"You found them?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah. Thanks for the hint…..Aeris." said Mr Question Mark with a smile as he rested his head on the truck's side. He may as well stay up until the others arrived.

"Oh crap." Mr Question Mark said as soon as he realised something.

"Hmm? What is it?" asked Aeris. Obviously her condition had not weakened her curiosity.

"Cloud's going to kill me for his bike."

* * *

**Well, well, well. That's the end of the chapter so far. I hope that you guys enjoyed it and keep on reading. (Still, my Aura-less fanfic is more popular)...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Man. I think that this has to be the fastest update I've done. I'm working on three stories now so I hope you bear with me when I say it's a handful. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy Chapter 4 of the Lifestream army.**

* * *

Mr Question Mark felt the air blow against his face as the airship flew through the air. One of his arms, the one that had been bitten into was in a cast. Well, not a cast per se but rather a large bit of cloth that had been turned into one.

Both he and Aeris had been found by the group, pleasantries being suspended until after they were safe in the air. The others had tried to tend to Mr Question Mark's arm but Mr Question Mark had treated it himself and the pleasantries had commenced.

Not wanting to be a part of them, Mr Question Mark had retreated to the top of the airship, where he now was. Thankfully, Cloud had not mentioned his bike and Mr Question Mark wondered if he would. After all, Mr Question Mark was injured and talking advantage of an injured person wasn't something that Mr Question Mark guessed Cloud would do.

Still, there was a more pressing issue at hand. The Lifestream. It had wanted to take Aeris but. The very thought that it could manifest itself was surprising enough but to think that it could think, could perform individual actions. Mr Question Mark didn't know what to think.

But what he did know was that someone else, not the Lifestream had raised Sephiroth. If they had tried to do so, then the Lifestream would have probably attacked them like it had with him. But Sephiroth had still risen. That meant that he was facing a threat that was unknown to him. And he didn't like that.

Mr Question Mark ran the details of what he already knew in his head but a sound off to his right disturbed him. He turned his head and saw someone standing in the entrance towards the belly of the airship. Aeris.

Mr Question Mark turned a soon as he saw the face, not towards it but back towards the moving scenery. There was not much he could say to her. It had nothing to do with him whatsoever.

There were footsteps and Aeris soon stood next to him, watching the scenery as well. The only sound was the sound of the engines and the fluttering of Mr Question Mark's tie in the wind. The sound of the door opening was heard again and Mr Question Mark had a look. In the doorway stood Red XIII, Cloud, Tifa, Marlene and Denzel. The only reason he saw them was because the doorway only held enough view for those but he was sure that everyone else was there.

He turned back to the scenery. The trees past them underneath the airship. Where were they even going? Mr Question Mark wasn't sure that Cid had given directions but he knew that their destination hadn't been identified yet.

"Thank you." Said the soft voice of Aeris next to him. Mr Question Mark didn't say anything. Aeris would do all the talking now. "You saved me and brought me back. You risked your life for a stranger."

She turned to him and gave him a smile. Water was forming at the edge of her eyes but she made no attempt to hide it. "And-"

"That's enough." Said Mr Question Mark. Aeris looked at him in surprise. Had she annoyed him somehow? "I did nothing to be thanked for." He continued. "I brought you back partly because of my own selfishness. It may be justified selfishness but it was what it was. I didn't do it to save you. So," Mr Question Mark turned back and walked to the doorway where everyone was. "Don't assume I'm a good person because of it. Now come. I have something to ask you."

He disappeared through the doorway and into the belly of the ship, Aeris and the others following slowly behind.

* * *

"Now" said Mr Question Mark. Everyone was inside the conference room just left of the staircase that they had descended although Mr Question Mark was certain that he only needed Aeris for his discussion. Regardless, everyone was present and the only thing that affected was the amount of people who heard the conversation. "I want to ask you about the Lifestream."

Aeris nodded ready for her questions.

"Recently, at least in the last 3 days, have you sensed any…abnormalities in the flow of the Lifestream?"

"How do you mean?" she asked. "Of course some parts of the Lifestream increase in some areas because of death of application of life so you'll have to give me a little bit more to go with."

"Then…how about large amounts of the Lifestream gathering in one place? Recently that is."

Aeris put a finger to her chin before nodding. "I think I remember a few while in was in the Lifestream."

"Can you sense them now? Tell me their location?"

Aeris shook her head. "Sorry. I had unlimited access once I was in the Lifestream but not anymore. The best I can do is remember. I'm not sure if I can sense it anymore because of it."

Mr Question Mark nodded. He expected as much. It wasn't going to be that easy. But at least his hunch was right. At least partially. He now had a way to take down the raised Sephiroth.

"If I may ask." Said Red XIII. Mr Question Mark waved his one good hand in confirmation that he could. Upon seeing it, Red XIII continued. "Why do you need to know the location of concentrated Lifestream?"

Mr Question Mark looked at him. "Isn't it obvious? Because of Sephiroth."

The reaction from everyone was almost instantaneous. Numerous eyes shot towards where he was sitting, all of them with the same look: what was he talking about? Mr Question Mark read them all and decided to explain. He cracked a stiff neck.

"Alright then guys. Pay attention. You all know how I told you that Sephiroth is back?" Everyone nodded except Aeris. "Well, Sephiroth is back." Said Mr Question Mark. Now everyone knew. "It happened back at the Northern Cave, and he was raised the same way that Aeris was. Taken right out of the Lifestream."

"But that has happened before." Responded Tifa. "Around a year ago."

Mr Question Mark nodded. "Yes. But the difference was that Sephiroth's body was switched with another's. Then after that body was defeated then the original body was switched back. I don't know the details but that's it in general." Of course if Mr Question Mark had actually bothered to ask he would have discovered that the people who knew most about the incident were in front of him.

"That's the difference. This time, Sephiroth's body hasn't been switched but actually taken out and moving of its own accord. Now there's one thing to consider here. And that is that Sephiroth has definitely lost a lot of his power. Being absorbed in the Lifestream without movement will do that to you. And it's because he was raised that I need to know the location of this concentrated Lifestream."

Confused looks came from everyone. They understood that Sephiroth was alive now but what did that have to do with this concentrated Lifestream?

"Now, this concentrated Lifestream." Said Mr Question Mark. "Sephiroth must have this in order to maintain his body. We've already seen the concentrated Lifestream of Aeris. That green version of her. I think that because we got rid of that, the Lifestream has permitted Aeris to be raised. Not the best explanation, I know but it's the best I have right now. Now, regarding Sephiroth, he wouldn't have that Lifestream version of himself. I would have seen it if that were the case. So, the best guess is concentrated Lifestream in different places."

There was silence as the people in the room processed the information they had just been given.

"So….if we destroy these concentrated Lifestream points, we'll destroy Sephiroth?" asked Cloud.

"I wouldn't say destroy but rather kill. He'll die, again, and that'll be that." He nodded, satisfied with his explanation and turned to Aeris. "Now, can you remember how many of these Lifestream Points there were?"

Aeris frowned and crossed her arms, thinking hard. Everyone looked at her as she tried to remember. It was a while before she spoke.

"5 points, I think. I can remember 5 points. Not where they were though. Sorry." She apologised and bowed her head.

Mr Question Mark didn't say anything but merely rested his head on his good arm thinking. No-one wanted to disturb his thought process as he was the only one who even knew where to begin thinking. If it was any quieter, the occupants could have sworn that they could hear the gears in his brain turning.

It was a while until he spoke.

"Midgar and the Northern Cave. That's two. The points will definitely be placed at places where there would already be a lot of concentrated Lifestream. Therefore, Midgar and Northern Cave. We'll go to the Northern Cave last anyway so there's 3 places left."

Everyone racked their brains with the information that they had just been given. Places with a large amount of Lifestream…a large amount….

There was only one thing that automatically came to mind at that moment.

"Mako reactors." They all said. "The rest will be at Mako reactors."

Mr Question Mark rubbed his top lip. "Most likely. We'll start with places that we're familiar with. Anyone have Mako reactors near hometown or place where they grew up?"

There were glances towards Cloud, Tifa and Barret. They in turn did not look at anyone but rather at the ground. Mr Question Mark nodded to himself. It was unlikely that the Mako reactors with the needed Lifestream were those reactors near their town but it was worth a shot.

He stood up and prepared to exit the room by walking to the only exit. "You guys decide on where we're going first. Make it quick."

* * *

Their destination was decided in less than an hour. It turned out that Corel was going to be their port of call and they directed the airship in that direction. They arrived quickly and the occupants wasted no time getting off and searching the town. Although it was unclear whether or not the Lifestream Point would be in the town or inside the Mako reactor itself but there was no harm in making sure.

Unfortunately no-one knew what they were looking for and in the entire town, everyone turned up nothing, earning strange looks from the residents of Corel.

They all sat in front of the end of the rail-line in the middle of town. They had been a large sloped barrier, almost like a ramp attached to it after the events of 3 years ago. Although Mr Question Mark had no idea what that meant it obviously had meaning to the rest of the group.

"Anything?" asked Cloud although he felt that he already knew the answer. Indeed the answer was no, seen in the shaking heads.

Mr Question Mark yawned, rubbed his eyes with his good hand and looked down the railway. Barret had told him that down there lay the Mako reactor and trains had been used to transport employees of the reactor to their workplace. He listened as well as the others decided that the Mako reactor was last and headed there. They filed out, down the rail-line Mr Question Mark not joining them but sitting on the ramp.

Although he had not told the group probably because it would mean nothing to them he had figured something out. According to some of the local residents, someone had ventured towards the Mako reactor around 3 days ago but they were covered in a large hood so their face or gender could not be seen.

"Mr Question Mark!" called Yuffie from ahead of him. "You coming?"

Mr Question Mark responded by standing up and walking down the track keeping silent the entire time.

The walk itself was fairly long; the group staying on the tracks the entire time with many conversing with one another but all the while, Mr Question Mark was silent. Still in thought over the mysterious figure in the hood, he did not know how much time had passed before he stopped as he ran into the back of Aeris.

Aeris turned around and said, "We're here." Indeed they were. In front of Mr Question Mark lay a large expanse and building. Uncharacteristically, Mr Question Mark had not taken in his surroundings while he was walking to the Mako reactor and part of him felt vulnerable.

He felt silly for feeling vulnerable but the thought was still there. He stood in front of a large metal door that was connected to the track. Obviously the track went back inside the building and trains were used to go between the reactor and Corel. The door itself was not the most amazing feature though. It was the large tower like structure that surrounded it. The silver metal looked rusted after years of not being used but it still felt intimidating being in front of it.

Fumes rose from the edges of the tower and the smell of the area was similar to a garbage dump.

There was a bonging sound from the door and it appeared that Cloud and Barret were trying to get it open using force along. They struggled but it was clear that their attempts would meet with little success.

"Looks like we have to find another way in." said Tifa. "Alright, we'll all have a look around and meet back here in 10 minutes. Try everywhere guys." She turned and left, the others taking the same idea and moving around the reactor. Only Mr Question Mark stayed where he was. It was unlikely that they would find another entrance and even if they did he doubted that it would lead to the middle of the complex in front of him.

He scratched his head. Where would the Lifestream Point even be in the reactor? It was heard to say but he had to look inside the structure to have an idea.

His thoughts went back to the figure in the hood that had been mentioned. If the figure had been here, then how did they get in the complex? Had they even gone in? There was no evidence to suggest so.

Mr Question Mark started to go along that train of thought, namely if someone had gone in before, how had they done so?

He looked down at the tracks. The condition that they were in made everyone's shoes reasonably dirty so it was easy to see footprints. Unfortunately there were too many to accurately determine if any of them were the figure's.

He then went to the large door that Cloud and Barret had tried to open. It was unlikely that he would be able to open it with force alone but that wasn't what he was looking for. There was a slight opening in the wall on the left but since he had been looking at Cloud and Barret before, he had not noticed it.

Before he inspected the opening he had one thing to check out. It was the hinges of the door itself. It appeared to him that the doors opened like how an automatic door might, sliding off to the sides. He walked to the edge of the door nearest to him and ran his finger down the metal nearest to the wall. Unlike the rest of the building this part was relatively smooth. It looked like this door had definitely been used recently.

Smiling, he moved to the opening, a screen taking up the place. He pressed it and it gave off a faint glow in the light of the area. The words that appeared on the screen were as such:

Opening code:  
Password:

There was a touch screen keyboard underneath the words and Mr Question Mark didn't need an explanation. The opening code was like a username, needed to open the door and the password was required to open it.

If he had time, he would have tried to solve it, there might be a clue in the words however, he felt that he was rushed. He pulled his sonic screwdriver from his blazer pocket and pointed it at the screen and pressed.

The familiar high-pitched humming sound came from the tip and for a little while there was nothing but soon a *beep* came from the machine. This was followed by the word 'ACCEPTED' and the door shifted a tiny bit before opening to reveal the interior.

Surprisingly the door opened with little sound and soon the interior of the reactor was open to him.

He looked behind him. The others weren't there yet and Mr Question Mark felt that he would investigate on his own. He stepped inside the structure, the light from outside providing little illumination. On the inside, green lights often sprung up but then flickered out.

Mr Question Mark took a step inside again, and then another, and then another. Soon it was not long before he thought he stood in the middle of the room he was in but he couldn't be sure.

Suddenly, there was a shift in the ground and Mr Question Mark stumbled as the floor beneath him moved. A grinding sound showed that whatever was moving had not done so for a while and Mr Question Mark tried to reach out a hand to steady himself but found nothing. He elected to lie down on the ground as the floor moved.

As it moved, Mr Question Mark found himself moving away from the door in a circular fashion. When he had stopped, he couldn't see the door, not because he had moved a long distance away, in fact he had only been moved 180 degrees but rather because something was in the way.

Something large.

Unable to see properly, Mr Question Mark reached for his sonic screwdriver again and pointed it at the object. There was only really one word that could describe what lay in front of him.

Fancy. A large retro train cart stood in front of him, the one that one would use coal to fill up. He marvelled at the beauty of the machine in front of him and walked up to it, peering inside the window. He was about to shine the sonic screwdriver into the window when a large mechanical sound reverberated throughout the room. Mr Question Mark looked back to where the train had come from but found nothing and then looked back at the door.

It was closing. Mr Question Mark looked at it for a few moments stupidly before realising that he was inside the complex with no way to get out. He ran up to it, stumbling as he did so and just as he reached it-

*CLANG*. The metal doors shut tight, locking him out. Now in darkness, Mr Question Mark shined his screwdriver near the door, trying to find a panel like the one outside but to no avail. He switched settings and used the screwdriver against the door but again no avail.

"No way…." Saud Mr Question Mark to himself. The only way to prevent the workings of the sonic screwdriver was a deadlock seal and there was no way that the civilisation that he was in now had the technology to have one. That left only one option.

Someone else, a traveller like him was responsible for this. Mr Question Mark rubbed his chin. But what would they have to do with the Mako reactor? Now that it had been decommissioned there was no reason to come here. The only person that came to mind was that mysterious figure but who were they?

They had come around 3 days ago. With his own timeline that coincided with one event: the rising of Sephiroth. It may have been a coincidence but it was too perfectly played and Mr Question Mark didn't like it.

What was going on on this planet? Mr Question Mark looked back at the train with that one thought. Sephiroth rising? Mysterious figures that were extra-terrestrial? What did they have to do with each other?

"Man….I really need a holiday. A proper one." Said Mr Question Mark to himself. There was no point moping about what was happening. So, Mr Question Mark decided to look around some more.

The first point of action would have to be that train. Mr Question Mark approached it and shone his light in the window. Nothing strange in there, just a collection of controls. It looked like the coal needed to fuel it was already burning, a small fire burning it. With a little prodding, that fire would be made larger but Mr Question Mark had no need to do that right now. Stepping back from the train, Mr Question Mark shone is light around the room he was in.

There were numerous platforms on a few levels, accessible by ladders and as an educated guess, probably led down to more corridors that surrounded the reactor. There were too many to look through himself and the Lifestream Point could be down any of them. Regardless, Mr Question Mark didn't think that he could reach those platforms with ladders because of his arm.

Now, these platforms were on the sides of the room and at the back, there was a small control panel. Mr Question Mark took no hesitation in approaching it. Some buttons of it were lit up while others weren't and levers were all over the machine itself in places that didn't have buttons. There was one button hat caught Mr Question Mark's eye. Not because it was large, or red, or big but because it had the word 'Light' written under it.

Mr Question Mark pressed the button and the whole interior shone with a healthy glow. Mr Question Mark pocketed his screwdriver and pressed the button again. The lights went out. Convinced that it really was the light switch and not some contraption that had a secret nefarious agenda, Mr Question Mark flicked on the lights again.

Indeed, the interior was just as Mr Question Mark thought it was, the levels were available to be reached by ladders and the train was facing the door. It sat on a turntable, which explained how Mr Question Mark had moved earlier. Not that it mattered now. What Mr Question Mark needed to do was get everyone who was outside on the inside.

And the only way to do that was to break the door down.

* * *

The rest of the group –Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Vincent, Aeris, Cid, Marlene and Denzel-were all outside, standing near the door that separated them from the inside.

"Where is he?" asked Cid. "That brat better not be late."

Red XIII stuck his nose in the air and gave a sniff. "I can't smell him. Either he's not here or his smell is obstructed by something."

Cloud sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Man. What are we going to do? First my bike, then this. I'd rather not admit it but that kid is someone that we might need to destroy these Lifestream Points."

"What do you think about them anyway?" asked Yuffie. "I dunno, but they seem kinda weird to me." She gave a small shrug.

"I have no idea." Said Cait Sith. "But after what we saw with Aeris, I'm willing to believe anything."

All eyes went to the girl that Cait Sith had just mentioned. "You did see him defeat that …thing or whatever it was right?" asked Barret. "It took us out pretty quickly and it was against us. I find it hard to believe that the kid could just defeat it like that. I mean, we don't even know how he did that."

Aeris gave her own shrug. "I know about as much as you. When I woke up, his arm was as you found it. He didn't really say that much. But I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."

She was met with silence but it was Vincent who spoke. "I agree. But there is something about him though. Like he's not telling us everything."

"He's telling us nothing though Vincent." Said Tifa. "We don't even know anything about him. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt like Aeris but what if he's someone from Shinra? The way he took down that cloaked man at the City of the Ancients proves that he knows how to fight. And he strategizes well. He could be a Turk. Dresses in a suit."

All of the group seemed to have doubts about Mr Question Mark but none wanted to say it in front of him. Marlene and Denzel listened into the conversation. In their eyes, there was nothing wrong with Mr Question Mark however the adults didn't seem to share their opinion.

Cloud waved a hand. "Well whatever. We should split up and look for him. He could have broken his other arm and right now we don't need any other surprises."

Just as Cloud finished there was a loud crashing sound. Following this, the door that was a large obstacle for them was ripped from its place in the building. The group went wide-eyed at the sight of the door being taken out of its place and stared as it was pushed slowly forward by whatever had pushed it out of its place.

There was a soft coughing sound among the scraping of the metal door on the rails and the group slowly parted as an old looking train with its front bashed in came out from the Mako reactor slowly. It didn't look like it would function again either and it soon came to a complete stop.

The same coughing sound came from the centre of the carriage and many of the group assumed battle positions to attack the unknown threat. They waited for the occupant to step out and when they did-

"Sorry." Said Mr Question Mark, still coughing. "Am I late? It's hard to drive a train with one hand."

The group had nothing to say to that.

* * *

After a quick rundown of how Mr Question Mark had managed to get inside, and a lecture of how he shouldn't have gone alone, Mr Question Mark showed the group the inside of the Mako reactor.

Each had a look at the platforms, of which there were 5, along with a tunnel that was dug into the wall to the left of where the train was. Judging by the fact that there were 6 entrances, it was decided who was going into which one.

As there were 12 people, 2 would go into each tunnel and Mr Question Mark was going into the one on the floor that they were on because of his arm.

After a long discussion as to who would go along with him, the group decided that it be Aeris. Any questions that Mr Question Mark asked regarding that choice were ignored. As thus the groups were decided.

They were:

Cloud and Marlene  
Tifa and Denzel  
Barret and Cid  
Red XIII and Cait Sith  
Yuffie and Vincent  
And that left Mr Question Mark and Aeris

Mr Question Mark had no problem with the groups themselves and he and Aeris watched as all the groups ascended their ladders until they were standing in front of their tunnels.

"Alright?" asked Cloud across where he stood. "Everyone have a look down these tunnels and if you find anything strange, give a shout." His voice echoed in the close space. "We should be able to hear you due to the echo."

"What are we even looking for?" asked Tifa from the opposite side of the structure.

Mr Question Mark shrugged. "Try looking for something that has the words 'Lifestream Point' on it. Other than that, anything strange."

There were murmurs of agreement that bounced around the room and they all went into their tunnels without looking back. Only Cloud did and he called out to Mr Question Mark, "You take good care of her alright?"

Mr Question Mark scoffed. "Don't worry. I don't plan of reviving her again in any regard." With that they both went into their tunnels, Mr Question Mark holding his sonic screwdriver in his good arm as he went down the tunnel.

Aeris followed at a good pace in the tunnel, looking at Mr Question Mark the whole time. Mr Question Mark kept his eyes on the path ahead, looking at anything that caught his eye but found nothing after they had walked a few metres.

He turned to Aeris. "Can you sense it? Are we close?"

Aeris closed her eyes and focused but she shook her head. "No. I can't sense anything. It is possible that the Point isn't here."

Mr Question Mark looked forward and kept walking. "I was thinking that too earlier but not anymore."

Aeris raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why is that?"

"The door." Mr Question Mark responded.

"The one you smashed open?"

Mr Question Mark sweatdropped at that reply but nodded. "There were signs that it had been used recently. Also, Corel townspeople saw someone heading towards the reactor although I'm not sure if they went inside, the possibility is high."

Aeris nodded as she followed his train of thought. The tunnel they were in maintained its straight path. "So you think this person has something to do with this? What's happening now?"

"Hmmm. Seems likely. But I can't tell if it's two people or just the one." Said Mr Question Mark but he was consumed by his own thoughts. What with that follower of 'Iam' at the City of Ancients it was clear that he was involved. But what did that mean? What was Iam up to? It didn't make any sense. What did resurrecting Sephiroth have to do with anything?

"Seems like you have a lot on your mind." Said Aeris as she continued to look at Mr Question Mark.

"Yeah." He agreed with a grin. "And I'm supposed to be on holiday."

"Holiday?" asked Aeris. "Do you have a job right now?"

Mr Question Mark pointed his sonic screwdriver at Aeris's face, she responding by covering it due to the light.

"Why are you asking about me and not the situation? We might find anything here but you're asking about me." He frowned and moved the light back in front of him. "Don't delve too far into me. You might not like what you find."

He continued walking and Aeris still kept her pace. There was a small silence before Aeris spoke up again. "So, do you have a job? What is it?"

Mr Question Mark sighed and chuckled. "Yes I do have a job. But I don't know what it is. Bodyguard? But then again, you don't ask advice from bodyguards. In that case, an advisor? But you don't ask advisors to protect you. In the end, it's a mystery to me as well as you."

"Then why are you here?" asked Aeris. "Doing this? You could just ignore the problem you know? Tell someone else? Why do you chose to act and try to save everyone?"

Mr Question Mark stopped and gave her a strange look. "You're asking me for a reason?" She nodded. Mr Question Mark shrugged. "Don't have one or need one. Wising for other's happiness, is that so bad? Do you need a reason to put a smile on someone's face?"

Mr Question Mark kept on walking and left Aeris behind who was partially stunned. She hadn't expected an answer like that. She hurried to catch up to him and found that his device that acted as a flashlight was off. Yet there was light. She looked ahead and saw the end of the tunnel, a light appearing from it.

She looked at Mr Question Mark who had a displeased expression on his face. "Don't go towards the light huh?" he said to himself probably. "I have a bad feeling about this." Regardless, he took a few steps forward with Aeris following and soon they were in another room.

And it was massive.

It was probably the centre, a large metal circle covering the circle room but only touching the edges. Right in front of Mr Question Mark and Aeris was a wide metal 'road' that led to another circle in the centre of the room. On it was a small pedestal and on that was a cube. It was tiny and green but shone with a glow that could even be seen in the light of the room.

Further up on the room, metal circles that went around the room like the one that Mr Question Mark and Aeris were standing on surrounded the room at other levels but unlike theirs, there was no metal 'road' that led to the centre of the room.

Mr Question Mark pointed to the cube with his good hand after pocketing his sonic screwdriver. "Can you sense that?" he asked Aeris.

She focused but she shook her head. "My sensing of this concentrated Lifestream must have a limited range."

Mr Question Mark rubbed his chin. "That's not good for future aspects. At least try to remember what it feels like, when you're sensing and the 'aura' of the object. That might help you later on."

She nodded and kept on focusing, trying to remember every detail. As for Mr Question Mark he peered over the edge of the metal circle that ran around the walls of the room, into the bottom. Unlike where they were, it was poorly lit and it was hard to see anything.

Mr Question Mark reached for a glow stick inside his blazer and cracked it, quite difficult with one hand, and dropped it into the hole. It fell for quite a while and soon it hit the bottom. There was nothing, just brown ground, perhaps dirt at the bottom.

Satisfied, Mr Question Mark looked up at the circles above him. What were they for?

He got his answer almost immediately as a small face appeared over the edge of the one closest to him.

"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" called Marlene from where she was. She waved and Mr Question Mark did so to and soon he saw Cloud's face over the edge.

"It appears that all of the tunnels lead to this room!" said Cloud. "The others are already here!" Indeed as soon as Cloud said that, numerous faces appeared over the edge, some cheerfully waving at him while others giving stares.

It seemed that only Mr Question Mark or Aeris could destroy what was obviously that Lifestream Point. Mr Question Mark looked back at Aeris who had finished focusing. It was clear that it had taken a toll on her as sweat dripped down her head.

He pointed at the Lifestream Point. "I'm gonna head over there. You better stay here." She nodded and wiped her forehead. He turned around and walked along the 'road' towards the cube. He looked at it and picked it up, turning it over in his hand.

Being a collection of a force, it was rather solid in his hand. He tossed it into the air and caught it with his hand. It had a standard weight and his analysis was that it was just like an ordinary cube apart from it being green and glowing.

He put it down and brought out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the Point and scanned it.

_Analysis: energy signature recorded. Object consisted of 100% Lifestream_

Satisfied that he could now scan for the unique energy signature of the Points, Mr Question Mark pointed is sonic screwdriver at the cube.

"What are you doing to do?" asked Yuffie from above.

Mr Question Mark rose his head saw 10 faces all looking down at him. "I'm going to disperse it! It'll separate the cube and destroy the Point. I dunno what might happen after so look out for anything unexpected!"

He pointed his screwdriver at the point and pressed down the button. The low pitched hum came out if the device and the cube started to quiver slightly. It did so for a while before it was shaking so fast that it became little more than a blur. A few minutes after Mr Question Mark had pressed down of the button, the sound of glass breaking sounded throughout the room. Mr Question Mark, unable to cover both his ears and closest to the cube was actually thrown back from the soundwave.

The otters on the other hand were luckier. Aeris who was the second closest fell back onto her bum while the others hid behind the metal circles. As for Mr Question Mark who was thrown back he toppled over, losing the sonic screwdriver on the metal 'road' in the process. But it didn't end there; he continued to roll, until there was no 'road' left. He rolled over the edge but he lashed out his hand just in time to catch the edge of the 'road'.

Groaning because he had managed to roll onto his injured arm in the process, he hung precariously over the edge. He looked down and saw the empty space beneath him, the faint light of the glow stick still faintly visible.

Of course, the fall would kill him but thankfully he had saved up his regeneration energy. He doubted there was a way up however so he grunted in pain as he lifted himself up with one hand.

He exhaled heavily as he failed the first time and looked up. The others were managing to look over the edge and stared at the hanging figure. Mr Question Mark looked over to the side and saw that Aeris was just managing to stand up and headed over to where Mr Question Mark was.

"Are you OK?" she said. Her voice however was fairly soft but Mr Question Mark thought that that was the effect of the blast on his ears.

"I'm fine. Just get me up." He said and Aeris grabbed his hand. She groaned as she managed to lift up Mr Question Mark a few centimetres up but then released him. Mr Question Mark who was not prepared for such an action let out a small gasp as he fell to where he previously was.

He looked up in annoyance. "What was that for?"

He saw Aeris's face, pale and scared. She was looking at him but Mr Question Mark observed that it was not at him, but past him.

He looked down behind him at the ground and went pale.

It had moved. It fact it was still moving. The glow stick showed that the dirt was moving ever so slightly in its pale light. Maybe not dirt, but skin, thought Mr Question Mark. Extremely eager to remove himself from where he was he shouted out to Aeris, "Hurry up and-"

He never finished. How could he as a louder sound than his voice echoed in the walls of the complex.

It was a roar. Not one of a creature that was large, no, it was one of a creature that Mr Question Mark had faced before.

Sweating he looked behind him.

He had been right.

Looking right back at him was the face of a menacing dragon, brown skin surrounding its red eyes and sharp teeth.

"That's not good." Said Mr Question Mark as the creature let out another roar.

* * *

**And that's the end. I hope you enjoyed it and await the next chapter.**

**And as always,  
Review, if you please**


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